A E T E R N A xx
by K A N O - S T A R
Summary: I never questioned it—the attack in New York, Superheroes—all that mattered to me was making ends meet. How did things get so complicated from being at the wrong place at the wrong time? I regret asking what the Tesseract was and what it had to do with me. Death, Love, Betrayal, War. My simple life had been taken from me, now I nor it would ever be the same again… StevexOc
1. P R O L O G U E

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Hey guys! So this is not only my first Marvel Avengers story (for now), but also my very first fan fiction posted on here ever, and I'm pretty excited to introduce it! The goal is to post a chapter at least once, if not twice a week. Understandably it depends on how well it does.

So this is focused on 5 years after the attack in New York and entwines with the storylines of each character, based on their respected movie. Also, the Tesseract plays a_ huge_ part in my story and I really hope to do well with it! There will be action—_lots_ of it, but I will gradually get into it, I promise! As for pairings, yes…there will be love in the air. I'm a bit of a romantic, I can't help it! Love it! It will mainly center **SteveXOC**.

There will be some heartbreak, tragedies, love-triangles… I like to balance out a bit of everything!

And with that, I will let you read on! Please review, I _love_ reviews! I feed on them!

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx **AETERNA** xx_

_"Eternal"_

_…A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

_—_

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

* * *

_xx** PROLOGUE **xx_

* * *

_Death_…

_Love_…

_Betrayal_…

_War_…

These were the four leading stages that would eventually define my life and influence all of the decisions I've ever made up to now. I would become forced to experience each and every one of them through unexpected and unfortunate events, far beyond my control and understanding…

All because of foreign powers confined inside of a Cosmic Cube, because of my _terrible_ and _frustrating_ curiosity.

Or maybe, perhaps, it was because I had senselessly chosen to be part of something I never belonged with in the first place, far after being well aware of what I'd be getting myself into…

In the end, it didn't matter… I had long since wandered further into my inevitable fate with no intention of turning back.

How could I fight when I hated violence and feared my enemy?

Love something that I did not think loved me back?

Live when my life had become so controlled?

With my chest tight, eyes sharp, and body trembling, I stood on the battlefield like a solider among others, determination and resolve coursing through me despite the reality that I may not live to see another day again. It wasn't the first time I faced death in the eyes, but this time struck so close to home. I wanted a future again, one that would _not_ lead us but we lead it. _Our own_.

Freedom.

Justice.

I wanted my independence back and I knew a certain _Super Solider_ would agree.


	2. Manhattan M O R N I N G S

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Hello! So, a bit of a character introduction as well as the beginning to the plot. Sorry there isn't much action going on in this chapter but like all stories...it starts off a bit slow, but promising to rise with a great climax! You'll be introduced to lovable characters soon, too. :)

Hoping for some reviews before posting the next chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

_INTRODUCTION_

* * *

_The Tesseract._

_The Tesseract is said to be an object of unparalleled power, once kept by a God called Odin of Asgard before lost on Earth and only found centuries later by the merciless and wicked leader of HYDRA: Johann Schmidt. One of the most powerful artifacts, it holds great power that is nearly unlimited. It can open gaps through space and time, but more dangerously, can be used to power all kinds of weapons._

_On Earth, where things are naturally ran by all kinds of republicans and power obsessed leaders—that had seemed to be the most advantageous purpose for the Cosmic Cube. Humans could not possess what was never meant to be theirs in the first place, something so alluringly powerful, without becoming blinded by their greed and hunger for supremacy—compelled by the Tesseract's enchantment._

_During the battle of Captain America and Schmidt in 1941, the Tesseract was lost in the icy cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean and later recovered by Howard Stark—a brilliant inventor, founder of Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D: A counterterrorism and intelligence agency._

_Since the battle of New York five years ago, the Tesseract had been returned to the Asgardian Kingdom—its rightful place. However, like the cycle that had become accustomed to those heroes involved, the peace that followed shortly since the alien invasion was short-lived and the Tesseract became another problem to our kind._

_Under the order of The Other, the surviving Chitauri attacked the kingdom of Asgard and managed to acquire the cube back. Just when victory seemed like a sure thing—so firm in their grasp—Thor, son of Odin, came down and with the swing of his mighty hammer succeeded to take out most of his foes._

_All but one._

_With the power of the Tesseract and his impressive speed, The Other did fairly well in holding his own against Thor in what seemed like a tiring battle. Eventually the Asgardian's knowledge of New York and what was learned from his good friend Dr. Selvig (the Tesseract cannot defend against itself), Thor was able to use part of the cube's power into his hammer to fend against The Other._

_The powerful collision shattered the cube, causing pieces of the Tesseract to scatter into Earth's atmosphere… That was when the fate of our country would forever change and the millions of eyes watching from the sidelines would become more exposed to the reality that was human nature._

_With The Other escaping his punishment, Thor had returned to Asgard to bring the news to his father before returning to earth to do the same._

* * *

_xx **AETERNA** xx_

_"Eternal"_

_…A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

_—_

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

_—_

**CHAPTER _ONE_:**

_"Manhattan Mornings"_

* * *

Mornings weren't_ usually_ my favorite time of the day; in fact it was safe to say I hated them. I express the word "usually" with care because today was actually an exception. I wanted to wake up feeling rather optimistic, head held high.

Confident.

Spending three years as a waitress, I had been longing for my big break. After all, tips weren't always enough to keep up with the rent. Not in this economy. If it hadn't been for my roommate I'm positive I'd have wind up on the streets by now.

I had managed to finally muster the confidence and apply for an opening I was informed of about a week ago; it was to become a legal assistant. It not only paid well, but gave me a bit of experience as I'd always found myself fascinated by law. Well, kind of… My Uncle Arnold was a well-known lawyer and being raised by him most of my life, I grew to appreciate that part of his life.

Looking into my own reflection slightly blurred by the steam of my shower, I practiced my presentation for my interview today. "Valentine Hayes, pleasure to meet you," I made sure I knew what my best smile was, as well as what to say and how to say it.

I'd be a liar if I didn't admit to being a little nervous.

My stomach twisted in knots every time I glanced to the clock while eating my bowl of cereal—doing my best to remember to chew, too. I would let the nerves out now as I rather not have them distract me during what was considered the most important interview of my life.

Before heading out the door, I made sure to inspect my appearance. I wore a grey dress suit, my pencil skirt touching past my knees… My long black hair was pulled into a tight bun, my thick rimmed glasses positioned comfortably against the bridge of my nose. I looked older than I was, my roommate constantly teasing me about it. It bothered me so I avoided dressing too maturely and liberated my hair of any elastics, but today I welcomed the sophisticated businesswoman look. I was sure this was what they wanted in a lawyer's assistant after all.

The city streets of Manhattan were busy with life like every other morning; most of the historical buildings and tourist attractions rebuilt since the attack a few years ago…

There had been so much controversy over it since the entire ordeal; I myself not entirely sure what to believe or how to think of it. Then again, I tried not to remember about it for my own sanity.

If it hadn't been for these "superheroes" existing would there have ever been an attack in the first place? Had they just provoked it? It was hard to tell… No one knew the story behind it—except for those involved, obviously. During the time of the attack I had been working at the restaurant and like everyone else caught in the crossfire, cowered somewhere safe until the invasion died down.

That had been the longest six hours of my life… I _never_ took life for granted since that day.

Every day at work I am greeted by Stark Tower as it stands the tallest in the entire city. It was something that had become one of the most talked of tourist attractions in New York, which I suppose was great for business because most of our customers requested to sit to the tables closest to it's view. It was usually crowded with Iron Man cosplayers or women looking to get more intimate with Tony Stark himself, but the only thing that lacked obnoxiousness was the children I saw sometimes, standing just outside. They proudly wore the familiar attire their favorite Superhero fashioned. That was really the only good outcome that came out of this, I thought—every child needed someone to look up to, _right_?

Deciding not to think about it anymore, I made my way toward the subway station with thoughts solely focused on my interview.

* * *

I thought my interview had gone fairly well. Naturally sweating like a pig the entire time, while still maintaining a professional demeanor and answering questions to the best of my ability. Yet when I went to shake hands with the man interviewing me after we had finished, there was just something about the lack of assurance in his shake…it threw me off. It was much more firm when I introduced myself to him—like he saw potential in me.

Now…well, it lost any spark.

My walk back to my apartment was a little less than cheery and more heavier, the interview completely weighing me down. It wasn't as though I hadn't gotten the job; I still had about a week before finding out for sure… Still, I was fairly good at reading people and something told me that this man hadn't found what he was looking for in me.

Looked like another few months of waiting tables again.

Leaving the subway, my gaze was met with an even larger crowd surrounding Stark Tower. I noticed a few officers had to keep the fans in control, they were getting really excited.

Letting my curiosity get the best of me (my curiosity _always_ doing that), I wandered towards the crowd and inched in while cautiously avoiding earsplitting screams from deafening me. That was when I caught sight of a fairly expensive, cheery-red car pulling out and driving down the pathway. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the man driving it was Tony Stark himself. I personally found him kind of arrogant and self-centered, but respected what he did as Iron Man.

Ok, he was quite attractive, too... For his age.

When the car was long gone, the crowd seemed to have died down. I could only assume that Tony had been signing a few autographs before going about his usual business—it explained the swarm of people anyways.

With a sigh I made my way onward, having liked the mild distraction from what was my reality and the situation of my life…

By the time I returned home, having gone grocery shopping and doing a bit of wandering on my day off, it was dusk. The day had gone by so fast, I found myself a little disappointed. Tomorrow would be another day of work and another day of stress, I thought.

As I approached my building, a shimmering blue light caught my eye. It was winking on the corner of the roof. At first I just assumed a few residences were smoking on the roof again, maybe the light was their source for sight, but usually the stench of tabaco reached just outside the building. I couldn't smell _anything_.

Putting my bags away and changing into sweats, I made my way to the roof and peeked out to see if anyone was up there. Seeing how it was completely unoccupied, I closed the door behind me and had a look around. Soon the same blue light caught my attention. I couldn't make out what it was. Drawing closer to it, I noticed it was the corner piece to something…maybe a box?

Whatever it was, I knew it had definitely been broken.

Carefully taking it into my grasp, I was instantly mesmerized by it… I couldn't stop staring at it like I was left in some trance…It was something I'd never seen before. Despite how warm my palms were getting from holding onto the foreign object, I continued gazing into the light like a moth attracted to it.

Little did I realize that the glowing object was gradually absorbing into me, through my palms, up my arms and to my racing heart—my mind too fixated on its spell to even notice just how feverish my body was getting from the surge of energy now pulsing through my veins. When it released me, I fell to the ground while panting heavily. Each breath I took in had become a chore to do, my entire form trembling in fear and uncertainty from this sensation I was feeling… I felt as though my body was thrown into an oven, it was so hard to breathe and focus enough to understand what had just happened to me.

Within seconds I could no longer see or hear a thing…

* * *

When I woke up, I was back in my bedroom and it became obvious that morning had arrived when a bit of sunlight peeked past my blinds, hurting my eyes. I could only sit there confused, wondering if everything had been some terrible dream…

"…How did I end up in bed…?" I couldn't recall bringing myself in here. Oh man, maybe a bit too much wine was had last night?

It must have been that…

Slowly getting out of bed, I wandered out of my bedroom while yawning into my hand. I still had plenty of time to shower and get dressed before work, so I got to it, deciding not to think much of my bizarre dream.

The restaurant was kept fast pace with customers coming and going, I hadn't even noticed how much time had passed into my shift. Glancing outside, I saw that the café we kept was just as occupied, poor Dorothy running back and forth. Though on some days she didn't seem to mind it and after a bit of snooping, I learned why. An attractive young man usually stopped by for coffee and Dorothy would make it a habit of striking up a conversation with him. I also took note of the sketching pad he carried with him, always seeming to be doodling something in his sight. He was quiet and I couldn't recall ever seeing him with anybody now that I think about it.

I wondered if he'd stop by today, Dorothy would certainly appreciate it.

"Val!" Being yanked right out of my observing thoughts, I looked over to see my manager waving me over when one of my assigned tables became occupied once more.

Minutes had becomes hours and those hours lead to a quieter business in the restaurant. With the lunch rush over and dinner just about done, I was able to relax a little. I was almost off the clock; all I had left to do was clean the tables outside. As I walked out, my hand ready with a wet cloth, I was surprised to see the same man I had thought about earlier just sitting in his usual spot. He didn't have his sketch pad out, surprisingly. I almost felt like calling Dorothy over but decided not to make a big deal out of _one_ customer.

Approaching him, I set down the cloth on one of the empty tables and took out my notepad, "Hey, what can I get you?" I asked, flashing him a polite smile.

Glancing up at me, a faint smile stretched the man's soft rosy lips. "I'll just get a coffee, thank you."

Adjusting my glasses, I was kind of taken aback by how much younger the blonde man looked from up close—younger and handsome. About my age. He had kind and clear blue eyes, I could get lost gazing into them. And a strong, perfect facial structure to compliment his also flawless built body. His lips were soft and refined, too…

"Y-you don't want a muffin with that?" I cleared my throat, managing to compose myself. _Get it together, girl._ It wasn't the first time we'd had attractive customers. "Only half price now."

He seemed easily persuade. "Alright, I'll have a muffin then, thanks again."

With a sheepish smile, I went to retrieve his small order. By the time I returned, he had pulled out his sketch pad and I couldn't help but grin. A man who was passionate about his talent.

"There you are," Setting his small plate and cup down I went to grab the wet cloth I'd abandoned on the adjacent table.

"Thank you, ma'am." He took a sip of his coffee before beginning to draw.

While I wiped down the tables, I would occasionally glance up to see what he was making. At first I thought it was the van parked across the street but it turned out to be something entirely different. It was a picture of a woman… She had intense round eyes, full dark lips, and very defined cheekbones on her slim face. Her dark hair was sketched out as wavy and short-trimmed, just over her shoulders and also framing her slim face.

Maybe someone he knew or knows now? She was beautiful, whoever she was…

"Um, did you need anything else before I head back inside?" I asked him, focusing my eyes back on him.

"That'll be all, thank you." Very polite.

As I came around the table I'd just cleaned, accidentally brushing the side of my hand against his shoulder, I was hit with a sudden image. It flashed before me in a blink; it had been hard to make out at the time until I regained proper vision.

"…Ma'am…?" Looking over to the man, I noticed a look of concern on his features. "…Are you alright…?"

I clutched the back of his chair, my knees now wobbly. My heart began racing inside my chest, loud against my ears. My wide brown eyes finally stared back at him for a moment before closing.

I was able to make out the image better. I felt like I was there—on some aircraft…I was going to crash…crash into cold waters… Looking to my right I was able to see someone steering the craft towards the frozen ocean. When I opened my eyes again, I looked to the man pale faced. I felt as though my heart were going to burst.

What had been wrong with me? Was I going insane?

I had no idea what was going on but I was beginning to feel like last night wasn't a dream at all.


	3. The T E S S E R A C T

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Oh man, 7 reviews already?! You guys are incredible! I was going to wait until next week to post this chapter but seeing how well this story is already doing I decided to post the second chapter today! Seriously, you guys are great. Who knows, depending on how well this story continues doing I may post a lot more regularly than just each week.

I appreciate the comments—they make me feel better about my writing!

**Special thanks to my reviewers: **

**Koryandrs, XxDELICATE - CAGExX, Shadoww, FlowersEvidence, and Anon. **

**Much appreciated!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _TWO_:**

_"The Tesseract" _

* * *

It had taken some convincing but the doctor assured me I hadn't gone insane or worst, was ill—at least from what he could see. I opted from mentioning the random hallucinations I got from time to time…Last thing I needed was to be sent into a psychiatric ward.

I sat atop the clinic bed, staring at my doctor in disbelief, "…Then what could possibly be wrong with me?" I would occasionally get these painful headaches and felt like I was burning up. "Fever, maybe?"

"I can't seem to find anything wrong…" explained the doctor, looking over his clipboard, "Nothing. You've must have overworked yourself."

Given a prescription to some painkillers and time off work, I was sent back home. Not that I could really afford the time off, I was glad either way. It was incredibly difficult to focus on taking down someone's order when halfway through I'm distracted by a constant and unpleasant ringing in my head.

Feeling that first drop of rain greet the tip of my nose, I then glanced up to see how dark the clouds had come to be. Pulling out the yellow umbrella I tucked into my purse this morning, I opened it up while crossing the street. I was much too occupied on my umbrella to have noticed the truck driving in my direction, it's honking only signalling the warning moments from the impact. With a breathless gasp, I instinctively raised my arm and held out my hand as though that were going to stop the broad truck from hitting me.

Eyes closed and body tense, I waited for excruciating pain to course throughout my body…

And waited…

Seconds too long, I dared opened my eyes to see the horrifying sight before me—the truck had been turned on its back, a few feet from where I stood—I was shuddering in fright. Instincts told me to look around; only what I was expecting was far from what had actually been happening… All eyes were on me, gawking at my very existence as though I had been raised from the dead!

Women screamed, children clutching onto their parents in fear, men pulling both away warily while a few ran up to the truck, tending to the injured driver.

I didn't understand what was going on—I couldn't!

Looking down at myself, I struggled to find a reason for anyone to fear me. Did they honestly think a small woman like myself could do any kind of damage to a large metal truck!? That was—well…_perhaps_ possible? We lived in a completely different world now, exposed to more than we could actually handle.

If aliens could invade New York, why can't a girl push a truck over…?

"Oh God," I had gone insane. What was I thinking?

I didn't do anything, and just as I was about to explain myself to those still staring at me, I heard that same ringing in my head which was followed by that same head splitting headache I had been frequently experiencing since that night on the roof. Looking to my hands while completely disoriented, I nearly stumbled back in startle at the sight of them emitting a sapphire glow.

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

This wasn't happening, I was just dreaming—yeah, that's it, a dream!

However the distant sirens said otherwise and before I knew it, I was sprinting in the opposite direction of the accident—an accident I had caused and felt terrible about, yet still trying to make sense of it.

Through aimless and panicked running, a quiet alley had come across my sights. I sprinted for it, by now my entire wardrobe and hair drenched from the rain. My heart was beating at its fastest, the cold air burning my throat as I let out each heavy pant, attempting to regain my breath…

Leaning against the dumpster standing along the side of the building, I had to take a moment to actually reflect over what had just happened; otherwise I knew I would crack. Crack into complete insanity. But the truth was…it didn't matter how hard I tried making sense of anything—nothing held logic to it anymore.

Letting out a whimper, I held my knees close to my chest. I was so scared—what if I was sentenced to jail for this?

"…That blue object…" This all started since I had stupidly decided to approach the object and touch it that night… I suppose a part of me knew that what had happened and that it wasn't a dream, but desperately tried to pretend it was anyways.

* * *

Returning to my apartment, I planned to keep a low profile for the time being, hoping that today's ordeal would just pass and nobody would have been able to track me down—wishful thinking, really. As I opened the door and tossed my keys atop the table, I froze like a deer caught in the headlights after flicking on the lights. I spotted an unfamiliar man sitting on my couch, going through one of my law magazines.

"Who the hell are you!?" I demanded, reaching back for the handle of my door in case a swift escape was needed. He was middle-aged, dressed in a black suit, and seemed like he had something to say as he stood and pulled out a badge.

First reaction was he had been an F.B.I sent to apprehend me, but his badge wasn't one of authority that I was familiar with.

"Agent Coulson," He introduced, "I'm with Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

"…What?" No idea what that was and was far from impressed. "I've never heard of…that—you! Whatever this is!"

The agent then tucked his badge back into the breast pocket of his suit, "I'm not surprised, not many have." He looked around my place as though searching for something.

"Can I help you…?" I tried not bringing up what had happened earlier just to play it safe.

"I'd like to speak with you regarding the situation involving yourself earlier today," he explained, finally locking gazes with my own. I swallowed nervously as he continued, "I'd like you to accompany me back to headquarters where we can discuss this matter more privately…"

Despite his _older_ appearance he was actually quite intimidating…

"…L-look, I-I have no idea what happened…! Honest to God, I-I just…it happened so fast and I've spent hours trying to understand this—I promise you I am really scared here…!" I tried pleading with the man, begging him to understand.

Agent Coulson just gave me a look of certainty, "I can assure you there will be no problems between us if you're willing to comply with my requests. All I ask as of right now is for your time."

It was clear this wasn't the first time he had to deal with this sort of thing judging by how composed and in control of the situation he was… Deciding to trust the guy, I nodded my head slowly and let out the breath I'd been holding in, "…O-okay…"

"Great, pack your things, I will meet you outside."

After packing my things—mainly my clothing and toiletries, I left a note for my roommate saying I was going back home to visit my Uncle Arnold in Buffalo. I had to tell her something, right?

By the time I came to the entrance of the building, luggage in one hand and bag in the other, I spotted a black car pulled up. The windows were too tinted for me to tell who was inside but I could only assume Agent Coulson was.

Opening the back door, I tossed my things inside and closed the door before placing my seat belt on. Looking to my left, I saw the agent himself sitting next to me. Up ahead was another man dressed in a similar suit—our driver. "…So, can you explain to me what's going to happen…?" I asked. The nervousness was clear as day in my tone of voice. "I just got inside a car with a complete stranger; I think I deserve that much…"

Keeping my eyes on Coulson and awaiting a reply, my hands fidgeted a little atop my lap. The car moved and I tore my gaze away to look outside my side of the window, part of me thinking I was about to get murdered. I began wondering if I'd ever see my apartment and roommate again, let alone the light of day.

"…You're not a murderer are you?"

"If I were you'd have a poor sense of judgement." He answered swiftly, finally looking back at me. "S.H.I.E.L.D for short, we monitor potential threats."

I frowned, "…I'm a threat?"

"You may not be…but whatever gifts you have obtained certainly are."

Looking down at myself, I was beginning to feel like I didn't recognize the girl I was staring at. Was I even_ me_ anymore? It was as though my entire identity had been replaced—all in a matter of a week. All because I had to let my damned curiosity get the best of me.

"…There was a cube," I began. "…No, I lied… It was a piece of one though… Maybe it belonged to a box, like…I don't know…a keepsake box or whatever…"

"A box?" Coulson inquired.

"Well…" I sighed, having difficulty getting my thoughts across. I was shivering, still uncertain as to what will happen to me from here on. "…A few days ago I saw something bright sitting on my roof… When I approached it I noticed it was an end piece to something… judging by the angle of it…it was a cube…so maybe some box? It was bright and blue…it felt pretty hot against my skin, too."

I looked down at my hands, pausing for a moment to ponder on the details that followed next, "…I honestly don't know how to describe what happened next… I…was captivated by it… Like, it had this hold on me… The next thing I knew I was waking up in bed and it was morning."

Hearing shuffling, I looked over to see the agent taking out a briefcase and pulling out a folder. He handed it to me, "Take a look and tell me if this is what you may have seen."

Opening the folder, I studied the pictures sketched and printed on each page. It was hard to tell until I came across one in color. The way it was captured, I was able to instantly see the resemblance and confirm that this was in fact what I saw. "But it wasn't like that… It's broken I guess?"

I was too busy reading to the information regarding the cube to have seen the expression on Coulson's face. "…What's the 'Tesseract'? Is that the thing I saw…?"

"That's not important," After taking the folder from me and placing it back into its case, the agent faced me with a look of urgency, "Where is the piece now? Do you still have it on you?"

I raised a brow, feeling the weight of the changed atmosphere. "…N-no…" I cleared my throat, "I have no idea what happened to it… I don't remember much…only that I've been getting constant headaches and this ringing in my head—oh, and these hallucinations."

Coulson said nothing.

"…How important is it?"

When he looked out the window, I felt a sudden chill go down my spine. "…If we don't locate the pieces I fear they'll fall into the wrong hands…"

"And what does that mean? How powerful is this shiny cube?" I dare to ask, "What exactly_ is_ the Tesseract?"

The agent stared into my eyes as he carefully replied, "In simple terms: it's an incredibly powerful cosmic cube that could easily wipe out the earth if handled incorrectly. It's crucial we locate it."

And with that, I felt my heart sink down to my stomach… Did I hear him correctly?! I sat there, unable to even make a peep! My lower lip just trembled, eyes wide and alert. "W-whoa, whoa…! Don't tell me we're about to have another invasion or something! Seriously? And what does this have to do with me!?"

"That's what we're about to find out." Adjusting his tie, Coulson kept his gaze fixed outside the window for the remainder of the drive.


	4. P A R T of Y O U

_**KANO-STAR:**_

I really love you guys. Like seriously. Thanks for the support, you're amazing! For that I shall post another chapter! :)

You'll be happy to know that things will start picking up now and I'll be introducing another lovable character into the story! And now that I remember, Dorothy the waitress (mentioned in the previous chapter) is in fact the waitress Steve runs into in The Avengers. I just gave her a name I felt suited her perfectly. :P I personally think she's a cutie!

Anyways, thanks again! Please review! I love getting feedback!

**Special thanks to my reviewers:**

**Guest (To answer your question, yes it will be a romance among others!), Sandy-wmd, FlowersEvidence, XxDELICATE-CAGExX, Kira-Kira-72, and Shadoww! **

**Much appreciated! Thank you so much!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _THREE_:**

_"Part of You"_

* * *

"Valentine Hayes, age 23…"

"Yes…"

"Daughter of Ethan and Anna Hayes,"

I sat inside S.H.I.E.L.D's interrogation room, the air conditioning a notch too high as I felt like I was shaking in my seat from more than just nerves itself. Despite being promised no harm or punishment from these agents, I certainly felt like a criminal having spent hours being questioned and apparently reminded of who my relatives were. They had all kinds of information on me…I felt like my privacy had been violated.

The subject of my parents wasn't one I liked talking about or even being reminded of; relief overcame me when Agent Coulson changed the topic to my Uncle Arnold. He was a man I was proud to call my uncle and legal guardian as a child…

"Look, I told you everything I know… If I could give you the piece of the Tesseract I would!" I gestured to myself, "As you can see, I don't have it on me."

"Or do you?" Coulson asked.

I narrowed my eyes. "No…I _don't_."

"But I think you do." He said assuredly, "Haven't you ever wondered how exactly you were able to stop the truck from hitting you?"

"I…well…" At the time I was more shocked than anything—shocked and just about ready to piss my pants. Shaking my head I finally inquired, "…What are you getting at?"

Without answering me, Coulson collected his papers and tucked them under his arm before getting off his seat, "Hope you don't mind a little experimentation."

I cleared my throat nervously. "Um…depends?"

But I didn't have much of a choice and it wasn't as bad as I had imagined it to be—I mean, come on…you hear 'experiment' and instantly assume the whole Frankenstein scenario. It turned out to be nothing quite like it—in fact they only took my blood sample and ran a few tests before I was asked to rest for the night in one of their spare guestrooms I'd been assigned to.

* * *

The following morning I was greeted by Agent Coulson and a breakfast muffin with its complimentary orange juice to settle my stomach. I had been beginning to feel as though the agent's face would become more than just familiar to me later down the road.

"How are you feeling this morning? Did you sleep well?" he then asked—I supposed an attempt to starting small talk as we wandered down a more private corridor within the building. I was on my way to meet one of the scientists specialized in this sort of thing.

Whatever "this sort of thing" was…

Coulson didn't tell me much. "…I slept alright…" I replied quietly, peeking into each room we passed. Most of the rooms had blinds covering their windows to prevent anyone from glimpsing inside while the unoccupied ones were more exposed—mainly labs and one operating room.

I gulped.

"Can I ask you something?" I inquired suddenly.

"What is it?" Reaching a metal door, Coulson took out a card and swiped it before punching in the codes that would allow us entrance.

Letting me step in first, I took a deep breath, "…Will I ever get my old life back…? I know it's only been a day and nothing is set in stone…but I can't help but feel like you're making this seem really serious… I don't want things to change…"

"That's because it is," He answered truthfully. "I can't tell you more than that until I've had Dr. Banner take a look at you."

"Of course…"I mumbled disappointedly.

We came across a laboratory—larger than the other rooms we'd passed by were, too. Seeing all kinds of medical equipment got me anxious again. It was more of a clinic than a laboratory but the tubes, bottles, and microscopes along the counter would argue against that theory. They even had holographic computers that seemed more advanced than what the public was given access to.

It must have been Stark industries…

"Miss. Hayes, this is Dr. Banner."

I tore my eyes away from my surroundings to notice an older man standing by one of the screens, having seemed occupied with reading what was scripted on it. Looked to be a kind of formula I'd never be able to understand for the life of me.

Removing his glasses, Dr. Banner approached me with an extended hand. I took the opportunity to scrutinize his features in the little time it took for our hands to shake in greeting. He seemed tired, like he'd seen and done more than the average person, yet this intelligence was carried with him. He was the man you'd want around if you ever had a challenging physics question you couldn't solve, wasn't he?

"So you're the girl I've been hearing about." he stated.

I looked to Coulson for confirmation, "…I guess?" No doubt he told Dr. Banner everything.

"Dr. Banner will be running a few scans on you." explained the agent. "We believe that part of the Tesseract may have forced its way inside of you, like a leech feeding off of anything to sustain life."

I gave more of a disturbed reaction than shocked, "Honestly…?! That's just a speculation though, right? It's not a for sure thing?"

"That's where I come in," Dr. Banner moved back to the hologram screen, poking at it and pulling up another image of the Tesseract. "We learned a few years ago that the Tesseract emits traces of Gamma Radiation… The only way to confirm whether or not it's inside of you is to check for any signs of it."

I frowned, "This Gamma Radiation you mean, right…?"

He glanced at me briefly, "Right."

I took a deep breath, "…Awesome…" Not really.

* * *

At the time I wasn't entirely positive if I was either relieved or disappointed that the scanning was complete… Next came the results and I was just torn as to whether or not I wanted to even know the results. This could be a real life changer!

During the process I spoke more with Dr. Banner (it helped calm my tension)… He was such an incredible man—so insightful and intelligent—really knew what he was doing. It was no wonder he worked for an organization like this. He really was an asset. I couldn't help but notice how tense he got every time I mentioned the Gamma Radiation though… It was mostly when I had asked what it was and if it was toxic.

I felt like I offended him and was quick to apologizing.

As we waited for the results from Dr. Banner, I was instructed to wait outside the room in the hallway, Coulson next to me while he quietly read through a magazine. "You know, you don't have to watch me all the time like I'm some child… I won't run away."

He nonchalantly flipped through the pages, "Its procedures."

With a sigh, I leaned further into my seat. I tapped on my knees a little, bored out of my mind. "How long will this take?" I asked. "This isn't like the doctors were it takes hours, is it…?"

"Shouldn't be much longer… Dr. Banner specializes in Gamma Radiation, I wouldn't worry about it."

"…Well, it's not so much him making some mistake that worries me…I just want to know if I can go home or not…" I murmured, shifting in my seat a little. When another ringing in my ears greeted me, I leaned forward and brought my hand to my forehead in pain. I felt like the ringing was enclosing around my skull, unmercifully squeezing my brain.

"Headache?" asked the agent.

"…Y-yeah," I uttered, "…If you w-want to call it that…" Soon both hands held my head until the pain subsided. I found my heart raced at an alarming rate each time I got these headaches, too. I was beginning to worry for my health…

I hadn't noticed Coulson got up to retrieve painkillers for my head until he came back and held out his hand. "This should help," he offered.

Peeking into his palm, I spotted the two small pills and a glass of water in the other hand. Giving him an appreciative smile, I took the pills before drinking the water. After swallowing, I looked to the man, "Thanks…"

"Sure thing,"

Just then Dr. Banner was seen coming out of the room, pinching the bridge of his nose. "…Alright, you both should come take a look at this…"

Coulson and I stood from our seats. "How did it go?" asked the agent as we entered the room.

My eyes were focused on the screen, now displaying my x-ray from last night. I was told there was nothing there that was easily caught by the naked eye, so I had to wonder what it was doing on the screen in the first place.

Leaning against the counter, Dr. Banner crossed his arms and looked in my direction with a stare that had me holding my breath. It was grave. "…I found traces of it in her…"

My heart sank—the breath I held released in a gasp I made from the results. "…I-I have the…the thing inside of me!?" I exclaimed.

Was saying I was in disbelief an understatement? I had absolutely no other words to describe what was going through my mind, how I was feeling at this exact moment… It had all come so abruptly, this new life—if that's what you would call it?

"…I see." Soon Coulson's eyes were fixed on mine.

I was desperate at this point. "Coulson _please_, you can get it out, right?"

"Gamma Radiation will always be a part of you…" clarified Dr. Banner, his voice low and dark. "…It's not something you can just get rid of, trust me."

I felt the blood boiling in my veins, like I was going to snap—this was so incredibly frustrating! I thought of things I may have done so wrong in my life that I was being punished for because this is exactly what it felt like. I finally snapped, "How would _you_ know—easy for you to say!"

"Because I've been exposed to it," answered the doctor with a hint of pain. "It's still inside of me, even after all of these years… It won't ever go away…it will always be part of you… You need to accept that."

Suddenly any frustration I harbored decreased. "…Oh…" Well didn't I feel like quite the jerk. Feeling Coulson's hand on my shoulder, I felt the tension on my muscles lessen and I was left to only gaze at him with a pathetic look.

"…Now what…?" Hearing the crack in my voice, I cleared my throat and closed my eyes. "…This isn't happening…"

Was I destined to have these frequent headaches for the rest of my life?

"I think for now we should keep an eye on it." Coulson suggested. "We'll have our scientists look into it, see if there's a way to reverse it."

"The Tesseract is still out there—the remaining fragments of it anyways," Dr. Banner reminded. "Perhaps once all the pieces are located we'd have a better chance of fixing what we can."

Though that did bring a bit of hope back, he made it clear that the Gamma Radiation would forever be part of me… I wasn't sure what to expect of it, especially once the Tesseract was factored out—if at all… Obviously I'm looking at side effects.

"I have three of my finest affiliates out searching right now," assured the agent.

"How did the Tesseract scatter anyways?" I decided to question. "Where did it come from?" All these questions I should have asked earlier…

"What level are you?" Coulson asked casually.

"…Level? What are you talking about?"

"Exactly," He looked proud of himself, "You don't need to worry about the finer details."

I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest in annoyance. I didn't appreciate being left in the dark when I felt this kind of involved me—even if just a bit. I mean, if they wanted to keep me here like a prisoner because I was considered a "potential threat" then fine, but at least educate me a little.

That was when something crossed my mind, "Hey, did you guys investigate the ones responsible for the attack in New York years ago? You seem like the type who would want to get involved with that…"

There wasn't an answer right away.

Looking over to see Dr. Banner had gone to busy himself with something else, I raised a brow. My eyes eventually shifted onto Coulson who took out his phone.

"…Did I say something wrong?" I wondered.

Having made a call, the man left the room. I decided to just use this time to focus my mind on something else, feeling somewhat safer here in their care. They seemed to know what they were doing, I just wished there was something I was able to do to make this entire process go faster. Be of use.

"…I never thought I'd find someone who could relate to what I'm going through," I said to Dr. Banner, meanwhile wandering the laboratory and taking in the sights of all the gadgets. "I imagined this was something I'd be going through on my own…"

The doctor didn't say anything, just focused on the screen that had him engaged earlier. He seemed rather concentrated…I wondered if he was always like this—not much for conversations.

"Do you get headaches, too?"

He glanced up at me. "I guess that's another word for it," was his response.

I found myself eyeing him in a different light. Dr. Banner had this mystery to him, I found myself wanting to know more about him. I knew we could relate more that way and maybe I'd be able to understand the effects of Gamma Radiation through him—what I was to expect.

"Alright, let's get going. Ready?" a voice asked from the door.

Looking over my shoulder to see Coulson standing there, I nodded my head and looked back to Dr. Banner, "Thank you for everything, Dr. Banner… I hope you and I can talk a bit more sometime…"

He placed his glasses back on as we left, "Sure." He didn't seem all that thrilled about the idea of talking to me, but I had to know what it was about Gamma Radiation that had him so uneasy. Apparently there was more to it than just the obvious.

* * *

Having returned to my temporary bedroom, I bid Coulson a goodnight and was left to gaze outside my window alone. It had been a long day of tests with Dr. Banner, I was more exhausted than I imagined I would be. The warm summer air of Central New York City felt refreshing on my skin, almost soothing my troubled thoughts away…

"…Uncle Arnold… I miss you…you'd know how to cheer me up…" I had to stay strong and positive—not just for myself, but for him. He wouldn't want to lose me and quite frankly, I wasn't ready to give up on life just yet.

I trust S.H.I.E.L.D would be able to help me… I just had to believe.


	5. Earth's M I G H T I E S T Heroes

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Hello my lovelies!

So I had initially planned to post this chapter when I had the previous one but school got in the way. :( Anywho, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter as now we are introduced to the rest of the gang! Thanks for your patience, I know it started off kind of slow but I promise things will get a bit more interesting from here on out!

Please review, tell me what you think. It motivates me to post faster! :)

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _FOUR_:**

_"Earth's Mightiest Heroes"_

* * *

"Superheroes!?" I exclaimed, "You mean—"

"Yes, the ones involved in the alien invasion." clarified Agent Coulson.

We sat inside the spacious cafeteria they had within their headquarters—a bright and early morning, much like any other. Sunlight peeked past the blinds, lighting the area with just the right ambience that took away the reminder this was a workplace—an important one at that.

It'd been about a week since I was taken in by the organization and I found that I'd begun growing more comfortable and welcomed here as time passed. I would be requested to see Dr. Banner from time to time so he could examine me and insure my body was still behaving and reacting normally to the Gamma Radiation exposure. For the most part, nothing changed in terms of side effects. I still got my headaches every now and then. I had even been introduced to Director Fury and Agent Hill—both who were equally intimidating.

Agent Coulson was one of the busiest agents so when he couldn't keep an eye on me, it was usually another agent. I had to admit that my mornings just weren't the same without Coulson around—reminding me every now and then through our conversations that I had little to no authorization to anything. Today, however, we got to have breakfast together and he surprised me by informing me on the status regarding their search for the Tesseract's remaining fragments. They'd only found one, not including the one I had…If I recall correctly, somewhere in Brazil.

Two was quite the unsatisfying number, but even more frustrating was not knowing exactly how many fragments they needed to look for and if someone else across the world has stumbled across my unfortunate situation, too. God bless satellites… Hacking into those made it fairly easier to monitor most of what was going on in the world.

Another revelation in my stay here was what had me so speechless right now—Coulson had finally admitted that they were also the ones responsible for the attack in Manhattan. It was incredible—hearing their side of the story, I mean. It did explain why he was so collected to my bizarre situation—Agent Coulson definitely saw it all.

"What made you decide to tell me all this…?" I asked, taking a sip of my coffee. "Just a few days ago you wouldn't even tell me your first name—which I still want to know…"

"Seeing how the situation regarding the Tesseract has now become S.H.I.E.L.D's number one concern, we've called on The Avengers to aid us. I'd like you to attend our meeting as you're going to be the demonstration to what we can expect from the Tesseract's remains."

"Wait, 'The Avengers'…?" I questioned. "…I don't' know how I feel about being used as some presentation…"

"Well, Avengers Initiative," corrected Coulson. "An operation we had started responsible for The Avengers—a group of powerful and gifted beings. And you'll be fine."

It started clicking in, "…Ah, the ones who defended New York during the attack, right? I get it now…!" Look at me, last week I dismissed the idea of superheroes and aliens…now I'm asking questions—really intrigued by these "Avengers", too.

"Wait, isn't Stark part of that?"

"Yes." Coulson finished his eggs.

"But Stark doesn't really have powers, does he?" Just that suit of his…

"Stark is brought on as consultant for his Iron Man suit," explained the agent. "It does come in handy."

"…Wow…" I leaned back, eyebrows raised in awe. "I had no idea there was such a thing as all _this_… Does the government even know about this?"

He held the rim of his cup to his lips, about to take a sip from his coffee, "That's classified information."

I should have known that would have been his answer… I must have been pushing it with all these questions but I was quite fascinated now. "Who else is involved with The Avengers? Have I met them…? I'm curious…"

After getting that sip of coffee he needed so early in the morning, Coulson finally pulled out a file sitting next to him and slid it across the table to me. "I went ahead and made this up for you last night… I'd like you to have a look through it and memorize what you can before the meeting tonight." I had been wondering why he brought it with us to the cafeteria….

Examining the stack of stapled papers, my eyes grew twice in size. "…Oh man, this is really thick…!" I whined. "Can't you just…explain?"

The front title page read: _**"Avengers Initiative Team Members."**_

"I've got something I need to do so you'll be left on your own for a few hours," I looked up at the agent. "Use this time to acquaint yourself with the gang… I also trust you won't take off?"

I plopped the heavy file on the table, "If I try anything you can just throw this on my back…it'll weight me down—you have my permission."

* * *

After breakfast I willingly returned to my room and started on this file that contained the information I apparently needed to know. I reluctantly flipped through the pages at first until I caught sight of something that instantly had my attention—enough to read this part anyways:

"_Steve Rogers: The Super Solider—the only living, successful test subject of the Super Solider Serum."_

The more I read about this Avenger: Captain America, the more I felt my heart pounding in my chest. It wasn't at all that I found thrill in their backstory (though it was impressive), but what I found familiar—the jet, it landing in cold waters—this was describing the hallucinations I kept having, also that face!

"…Where have I seen you before…?" Tapping my finger on the page, I concentrated on those soft blue eyes—oh, that customer!

"No way…!" We'd been serving coffee to a superhero all this time!?

I looked up, expecting to tell someone about all these revelations (so used to being accompanied by an agent) I had forgotten no one was here to tell this to. Getting off the bed, I approached the desk and opened the drawer, taking out a pink highlighter they kept there—along with paper, pens, pencils, erasers—in case their "potential threat" got incredibly bored?

Sitting back on the bed, I took the thick file onto my lap and began highlighting what was initially supposed to just be things that centered my visions, but eventually becoming key specifics I felt were necessary to remember about each Avenger.

Names, alter egos, powers, backgrounds…

I let out a sound of sympathy when I came across Dr. Banner's name… "Oh doc…" I had no idea just how bad he had it until I read through his entire profile—his being the only one I took the time to really read. I learned not only his first name but more importantly, what his connection to Gamma Radiation was. He experimented with too much of it and had a bit of an accident while exposed to it.

"Hulk…" I flipped the page to see an image of this 'Hulk' and gasped into my hand, "…Dr. Banner…?!"

It was a completely different person! Was he even considered a _human_ in this form?

After going through it, I found I needed a break before reading about the final Avenger. Cramming everything into my head at once brought on a more natural headache… This had all been rather overwhelming—learning that the visions I kept having centered the battle Steve Rogers had with this HYDRA guy, I wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Maybe I can see the past now…?" I pondered to myself, slowly laying back on my bed and closing my eyes. That wouldn't be a terrible thing at all—not as bad as what Dr. Banner has. No wonder he isolated himself in that lab most of the time, at least when he was in the building.

* * *

I had been awoken by someone gently shaking my shoulder, telling me to get up. Slowly sitting up, I reached for my glasses and noticed Coulson standing at the side of my bed. He had more folders under his arm.

"…Oh…what time is it…?" I asked tiredly, stretching my arms over my head.

"Time for our meeting…" His eyes wandered onto the file he made me, "How did it go?"

Taking it in my hold, I quickly flipped through the pages, "…There's a lot I rather have not known…but also things I felt we should discuss."

"Alright, let's get going then."

"Just a moment," I wiped the lenses of my glasses before quickly washing sleep from my eyes and face, also running a comb through my long dark locks. Finally ready, I came to Coulson's side and we wasted no more time before heading in the direction of this meeting room.

I had to admit…I was actually beginning to feel quite nervous about meeting all these super beings—my stomach was twisting in knots, heart racing…! This was natural though, right? Almost like moments away from meeting celebrities or something—though Tony Stark did fall into that category.

I began wondering how they'd take to my…_situation_. From what I read, they all had to deal with the Tesseract at one point (including the New York attack) I can imagine that my scenario wouldn't bring about smiles from them.

"In here," Coulson gestured for me to step into the room first, kind of wishing he hadn't.

When I took that first step, eyes were immediately on me. I held the folder close to my chest, deep breath, keeping my eyes to the floor as I wandered over to an empty spot and awkwardly stood there. Only ones I was familiar with were Dr. Banner, Steve Rogers (though wondering if he recognized me) and Tony Stark, but meeting the billionaire in the flesh for the first time was pretty unbelievable.

I had also caught glimpse of Directory Fury and Agent Hill, both sitting at the end of the large table.

When Coulson closed the door behind us, I assume that initiated the meeting because the first words to be spoken were directed at me. "This is the girl?"

The billionaire himself.

I glanced up at Tony Stark, smiling timidly, "….H-hi…"

With a tilt of the head, he examined my appearance as though he were expecting someone or something else. "…You don't look like much of a threat, sweetheart." he finally stated.

I frowned, "Well, that's because I'm _not_…" I glanced at Coulson questioningly, "What exactly did you tell them about me…?"

"What they needed to hear," he answered, picking up a small remote control and starting up the holographic screen. "If you would all have a seat…we can get this meeting started."

With a sigh, I sat down at the large table and set my things atop its surface before directing my attention onto Coulson. The hologram displayed an image of the Tesseract—so life-like as though I could just reach my hand out and physically touch and feel it—as well as a map of the human body.

He began explaining what they learned through "experimenting" on me—wishing they would stop referring it as that…it was making me feel like a lab rat. Coulson also informed the team about the side-effects based on the recordings, such as my headaches, and Dr. Banner interjected by revealing the traces of Gamma Radiation found inside of me.

By the end, I could feel everyone's eyes on me—staring as though they were peeking into my very soul. Needless to say, I felt incredibly awkward and uncomfortable with it. I swear the sudden silence had begun consuming me, like if they stared any longer I was going to die. Eventually self-consciousness got the best of me—were they studying my flaws in features?

I cleared my throat, deciding to just get what I had to say over with, "U-um—"

"Wait, I recognize you!" Our attention shifted onto the Super Solider himself, his eyes on mine in disbelief. "You're that waitress, aren't you?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," I smiled shyly. "…You really are Captain America, huh…?" I was finding reasons to believe he wasn't—the coincidence was just insane. But lo and behold…Steve Rogers really was our regular customer.

Dorothy would probably have freaked out at this—she spoke so highly of the Captain since the attack.

"I had no idea…" Steve seemed more surprised than I.

I know I should have been more focused on our conversation…but I couldn't help but notice his patriotic attire. He pulled off spandex well—a fashion worn with pride and dignity. It showed off the flattering built of his body quite nicely, too. Any woman would appreciate that.

Oh, right! Clearing my throat, I looked to Coulson, "…I…um, have been having these hallucinations…as Agent Coulson knows…" I hated the attention and knowing it was on me right now, I had to swallow hard and steady my breathing as I continued, "…A-and well…it was of a plane of some sort crashing into cold waters…"

Glancing over to Steve, I took note of the harden jaw and tension in his eyes.

"…I saw what happened to you and keep having the same vision…" I wasn't sure what to call it—vision, hallucination, some kind of mental ability? "It was as though I had been there…"

"That's not possible," clarified Steve, eyes averting my own, "…That was nearly 70 years ago…"

Lowering my gaze to the file in front of me that had been opened up to the information regarding Steve, I felt heaviness in my chest. I sympathized for him after learning what had happened. I couldn't imagine waking up one day and realizing everyone I knew and loved was mostly gone—that the world I once lived in no longer existed…

"I've been looking into that and the only possible explanation that I've come up with is that you've somehow managed to acquire the ability to see the Tesseract's timeline." Dr. Banner revealed, "Perhaps only part of it as you seem to have a recurring dream of it."

I appreciated him actually taking the time to think it over and remembering through our conversations what I told him concerning it. Everyone had been using all of their energy on the Tesseract and locating the pieces, I didn't think anybody would have the time to spare in helping me with these visions—or dreams, as Dr. Banner put it.

"What, you're saying that each fragment holds some kind of memory?" Tony asked skeptically, "The Tesseract isn't a living thing, it's a power source—a weapon that needs to be taken away."

Finally, the larger man—Thor from what I recall—spoke up in a voice deep enough to have me flinch in startle. "It matters not whether the Tesseract holds recollections of its many years of existence…! We must continue our quest and collect the fragments in which were lost, time is against us!"

Tony turned in his seat to look at Thor, casually leaning back with both feet resting over the table, "Yeah, remind me what possessed you to use your hammer on the Tesseract in the first place? I'm still baffled."

"I don't think now is the time to play the blame on anyone, Mr. Stark." Steve frowned. "Thor is right, we need to focus on locating those pieces and prevent anyone else from getting their hands on it."

I guess that was that—I was stuck reliving through the Tesseract's memory. Closing the file with a sigh, I glanced over to Director Fury when he stood from his seat, both hands set firmly atop the table's surface. "Precisely, which is why I need each of you out there, collecting those fragments."

"Mr. Stark and I generated detectors which can pick up any traces of Gamma Radiation." I watched as Dr. Banner took the small black device that sat over the table, lifting it up to show the team. It resembled the alarm you'd have on your car keys—it was small and portable, and that seemed to be pretty important if you're undercover.

I studied each Avenger in the room, wanting to become more familiar with their exterior. It was easier to do in person than on some paper. Aside from myself and Agent Hill, there seemed to be only one other woman in the room—her short, fire red hair the first to draw my attention. Even with the strikingly attractive features on her, she also seemed like a tough and in control kind of woman. I didn't think anyone would willingly mess with her.

I smiled to myself—with this much testosterone in one room I imagined she'd need that kind of presence to her.

They all had incredible talent, from reading that file it was no wonder they managed to save us from that alien invasion.

Earth's mightiest heroes…


	6. The B E G I N N I N G

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Once again, thank you for the support! I love you guys! I'm still amazed with how many follows I've received in just a few days and for that I've posted not only my longest chapter, but the one where things start getting more interesting! Also, more Avenger dialogue in this, yay! :P

I did have fun writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Please review, let me know what you think!

**Special thanks to my reviewers and their continued support!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _FIVE_:**

_"The Beginning"_

* * *

After the meeting, I was left standing at Coulson's side outside the room while Director Fury and The Avengers spoke a bit more regarding their mission. Not that we weren't invited to stick around, but Coulson decided to step out when he received a call and I kind of just followed. Oddly enough, I found the most security in the agent. He also didn't seem to mind it.

I needed a moment to collect my thoughts anyways, wandering the hall a little and just relax… I was hoping that they found the Tesseract's fragments with ease and soon…all this talk of destruction and danger…I was beginning to fear myself considering—

"You'll leave first thing in the morning." I heard Fury's voice, distracting me from my thoughts.

Casually glancing at the Director, I gave him an uneasy smile and watched as he and Agent Hill took their leave. Something about them had me incredibly daunted; must have been the authority they have and how well they showed it. Yikes.

Eventually the others began their departure, too.

Thor and Dr. Banner stood by the side of the corridor, speaking among each other. I still couldn't get over the fact that this man was a God—a God who could conger thunder from a hammer. I felt like I'd fallen through the rabbit hole on this one.

"Do they keep you in here all the time?" Steve asked, approaching me as I stood there with a dumbstruck expression. I hadn't expected the Super Solider to come speak to me. He was even more beautiful standing a few inches taller than myself, the ceiling lamps shining atop his short, blonde silky locks—I wasn't sure if I should feel envious or not.

"O-oh…" I grinned sheepishly, "…No, they let me out every now and then—as long as I'm on my leash." I joked.

"They put you on a leash…?" Steve seemed appalled. God, it was actually adorable.

"Oh, no, no, it was a joke…sorry." Moments like these I wished I had that one friend who would give me a subtle nudge every time I acted like a dork or said something stupid.

"Well, this should be pleasant." Tony came to pat Steve on the back, glancing over at me. "So what's your story anyways? Struggling artist, student in debt?"

"More like waitress trying to make it into law." I replied with a small smile.

"You mean like a lawyer?" Tony asked, "You don't strike me as the type." I apparently didn't strike him as anything today.

"…Well, no…more like an assistant. My…uncle…he was a very famous lawyer in the city and I guess I looked up to that." Thinking about him made me miss him that much more. I shook my head, "But anyways, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Stark…"

Tony shrugged, "It always is, sweetheart." Overconfident man, but I still smiled in response. I supposed there was nothing wrong with a bit of…_pride_ in who you are? "What can I get you? An autograph? Picture?"

"Uh," I blinked.

"Don't be ridiculous, Stark." Steve wasn't amused. "Anyways, we should be preparing for tomorrow."

Oh yes, they'd be leaving in the morning to search for those fragments. "Good luck…" I told them, wishing there was something I could do to help.

"Thanks, we'll need it…" Steve sighed, "The last time didn't go as planned…"

"You went to search before?"

"I did—myself, Mr. Barton and Miss. Romanoff." He answered, crossing his arms. "It was…to put in a different term…an incomplete mission."

I assumed Director Fury was _just _sending them out—like, at this moment. From the look on the young soldier's expression, I could tell it wasn't the greatest experience… I recalled Coulson having informed me that he had three of his best affiliates out searching for the fragments. Steve must have been one of them.

"What did you expect the outcome would be going on some wild goose chase?" Tony asked with a bit of a disbelief look. "Just because their hacked satellites captured unusual activity doesn't necessarily make it related to the Tesseract."

"Yeah?" Steve's eyes hardened, "I didn't see you trying to do anything about it. At least I was willing to take action and not sit around…"

"Did I not just present you to _the_ solution? That little radar will lead you right to those Tesseract fragments." Tony shoved his hands into the pockets of his suit jacket, "In fact, I'd say it was the solution to all our problems. No need to thank me, just contributing any way I can."

I stood there while uncomfortably eyeing the ground; meanwhile both men bickered like a pair of children. I had a feeling they didn't do these missions together too often, not knowing if that was a good or bad thing.

"Would you both calm down?" That woman—Natasha—stride over to us, arms crossed under her curvaceous chest. "Have you learned nothing from last time?"

"Oh…?" I took a breath, prepared to question what happened but shut my mouth faster than you could say 'nosy'. They would eventually learn how meddlesome I was for my own good—today just wasn't that day.

By the time Coulson finished on the phone, I had gotten acquainted with the Avengers. I appreciated them taking the time to speak with me—I was sort of the fish out of water, so this was pleasant… In that time, I'd been charmed by the dialogue of Thor and already used to Tony Stark's arrogant demeanor—yet still seeing good in him, also learning just how intelligent he actually was. He and Dr. Banner resided together back at Stark Tower and I could see why. They had a lot in common.

"Where do they even keep you?" asked Tony. "Locked up here?"

I briefly stole a glance at the others, all being attentive to my reply. "…No, I get my own room. It's…not really that bad," I shrugged modestly.

Tony must have sensed the lies within my words because he was quick to offering a place, "Come to the tower, I've got a few rooms that need better use."

I was taken aback by the offer. "Oh, actually I have a place of my own… It's just that Coulson says—"

"That's an excellent idea actually." said the agent himself.

I stared at him in astonishment, "…R-really…? I don't know…" I wasn't one to argue, but…

"Dr. Banner can still monitor you from there and I can only imagine it'll be a lot more adjustable than being here all the time?" a smile reached Coulson's face.

I was saddened that he and I would no longer share early morning breakfast together…but I liked the idea of residing somewhere elaborate like Stark Tower. Would be a first.

"…Well…alright…!" I smiled brightly and appreciatively at Tony, "Thank you, Mr. Stark… It's really kind of you to offer." I began doubting that I'd be able to live back in my own apartment anytime soon—to have a bit of freedom, if anything. I constantly reminded myself that this was for my well-being…so I knew I couldn't complain too much.

I never considered how significantly my life would change from this day onward…

* * *

After getting situated at Stark Tower, I learned my favorite thing to do was gaze out the enormous clear windows and stare in awe at the gorgeous view outside—especially at night when lights beautifully illuminated the bustling city.

Next best thing to do was speak with the tower's AI: JARVIS.

The first few days while the others left in search for the fragments, I found myself constantly worrying about them and wondering how it had been going… I didn't honestly believe there was much reason to be concerned but I was regardless. I wanted so badly for this to wind up curing everything wrong with me—that once the Tesseract was fixed, that I would be, too.

It was a lot to ask, yes, but it was also all I had to hope on.

Tony's girlfriend, Pepper Potts, she never ceased to amaze me either… A tall beauty, ginger soft locks and precious dimples worn proudly on soft pale skin… She was very welcoming to my stay—though the tower was large enough to give the couple more than enough privacy if they ever needed it—and was probably the only one able to tolerate Tony's difficulty. Pepper was usually out of town on business, too (doing most of the work Tony should), but when she and I were in the same room…we had quite pleasant conversations. Admittedly, I'm able to talk openly with her…and I couldn't get over how sophisticated she always was, I adored her attire.

I thankfully had her company while the Avengers and Coulson were gone—and JARVIS'!

I debated making something to welcome the team back—a cake or muffins maybe? I heard Tony liked his donuts… In the end the decision not to overruled. I watched from the balcony as Pepper greeted Tony and Dr. Banner outside the tower from their journeys—the affection shared between the couple earning a grin from me.

I always loved romance.

The doctor was the first to make it up, giving Tony and Pepper some time alone outside. When he entered the main room, I smiled widely, "Welcome back…!"

I guessed he wasn't expecting me to be there because he jumped in alarm at my voice. "…O-oh, didn't see you there…!" Setting his bags down, Dr. Banner went to sit on the couch and removed his glasses. He pinched the bridge of his nose—something I noticed he did often. He was always stressed…

"Sorry," I apologized and sat next to him. "How did it go…?" He would understand my curiosity as I was anxious to get this dealt with—return to my life.

"We…managed to locate a few fragments," he finally revealed with a bit of a tense sigh. "We were careful while handling them…" Which was always good.

Maybe I _was_ useful? I taught them the effects of touching these fragments without caution… Luckily none of them were prone to idiocy.

"They instantaneously reattached to each other on contact—we only have a few more pieces to collect if my calculations are correct." He then said quietly. "I'd like to wait before bringing you in."

I nodded thoughtfully, "I understand…" I imagined it'd be as easy as having me stand next to this cosmic cube while the remains of the Tesseract that lingered inside of me would just leave my body and attach to it. Something like that.

Just knowing they were safe made me feel more at ease, specifically learning they had found a few fragments and not many left to go. That had been like sweet music to my ears.

My mind had reverted onto Steve Rogers… I began wondering how he did—or was—feeling a connection to him through the Tesseract's memory—that's what we're calling these 'visions' now. I liked the ring to it better.

"How have you been feeling…?" Dr. Banner asked.

"I've been alright…" I sighed. "…Well, I'm becoming more accustomed to my headaches and they have strong painkillers here. I can tough it out for as long as you guys need to collect the Tesseract's pieces…" I hoped.

"Alright." Slowly getting up, the man undid the buttons of his coat and loosened his tie before looking over to me. "…I'm going to call it a night. Goodnight Miss. Hayes."

While he reached for his bags, I bid the doctor a goodnight and watched him take his leave. The room was soon filled with a familiar silence, one that I've adapted to when Pepper wasn't around and I had nothing to talk to JARVIS about. It was moments like these where my thoughts were left to wander onto things that didn't involve this wonderland, like my friends and uncle. I was still luckily able to send emails to my uncle like I usually did, much before I got involved with the 'supernatural'… I didn't want him to worry about me.

Removing my glasses, I leaned back on the couch and brought my arm to rest atop my heavy eyes. "…JARVIS when am I able to take another painkiller…?" I softly asked the AI, feeling another headache.

"Are you experiencing another headache, Miss. Hayes?" responded JARVIS.

"…Yeah, a little bit…" Sitting up, I held my head with an exasperated sigh. "…This one is actually—" I wouldn't even finish my sentence, my head aching too much.

Make it stop. _Make the pain go away…!_

I could hear Pepper's laughter from the hallway, but my mind was clogged and clustered—eyes squeezed shut—as though I'd been taken into another world, I couldn't even cry for help.

My body was physically here; however, my mind had gone elsewhere.

Eventually their voices faded into the background and I had been left in complete darkness…

* * *

Slowly blinking my eyes opened, I was momentarily blinded by a focused light in my face—first thoughts, I had died.

_Did_ I die?

Wincing and letting out a disgruntled grunt, I brought my hand over my sensitive eyes to shading them from the brightness I'd been abruptly greeted with.

A distant voice called out something repetitively—I think to me; only after the fifth time was I able to actually comprehend the words: "Can you hear me?"

I was groggy and nauseous to my stomach—I debated falling back to sleep and spare myself this agony. Nothing made sense at the moment, I wasn't even sure if my thoughts were coming out as complete sentences—or in English as a matter of fact!

My distorted vision met a figure standing over me, one that resembled Dr. Banner's—the voice did, too. Without my glasses I couldn't make out much.

"Dr. Banner…?" I slowly asked.

Where was I? What _happened_?

The penetrating light that'd been right in my face was moved and I was able to make out other blobs through my fuzzy sight.

"The Gamma Radiation," answered the doctor lastly, putting away a small flashlight. "You're alright now."

I began remembering the headache I'd been suddenly overwhelmed with and how excruciating it was… I never felt anything like it; I wondered what brought it on.

Actually, did I want to know?

"…I need my glasses…" I slowly pushed myself up so I was sitting more comfortably on the bed. Being handed my glasses, I took them and positioned them comfortably over my eyes to only see Steve standing next to Dr. Banner. His handsome features softened in concern making my heart skip a few beats.

I hadn't expected to see the solider here and looking like _this_—dressed in casual attire; a pair of denim jeans, buttoned up collar shirt worn under his brown leather jacket…

I'd been struck with alarm when I noticed the sunlight. I specifically recalled it being evening when Tony and Dr. Banner had returned…

As though having read my mind, Dr. Banner was quick to explaining, "You've been out for a few days. Director Fury requested you'd be relocated to S.H.I.E.L.D's private infirmary where they can keep better care of you."

I sat there, mouth gaping like a fish on dry land. "…Huh?" That'd been the most intelligent response I could come up with at the moment—I was left perplexed, at a loss for words! Days?!

"…And you came—" I swallowed my dry throat, "…You came to see me?"

"A doctor has to check on his patient from time to time," unpretentiously answered Dr. Banner. "You're doing a lot better today…"

I forced a smile at his update, not sure what kind of condition I was even in these past few days—couldn't have been the greatest if they felt the need to transfer me to some private infirmary. "I'm sorry if I caused a commotion…"

I knew they were busy tracking down the fragments and all…

"How are you feeling?" Steve suddenly inquired. "Forget apologizing… The most important thing for now is your health."

My lips pulled into a soft, coy smile, "…Well, when you put it that way…" I laughed quietly, looking down at my hands…

My eyes widen at the sight. My smile faltered slightly, "…Have I…been sick…?"

Both men had fallen into an uncertain silence as I warily observed the back of my hands and fingers—now slightly slimmer and skin a shade paler than I naturally was. I supposed it was the lack of nutrition in my body from when I'd been in bed…but that didn't add up.

I blinked my eyes a few times thinking it was just in my head. It wasn't a drastic change—if you met me for the first time you wouldn't notice a thing wrong with me…but I knew myself like the back of my hand, literally.

This wasn't right…

"…Guys?" I lifted my gaze to see their apprehensive expressions—they weren't telling me something. "…Dr. Banner…as my unofficial doctor…you have to tell me what's going on."

I tried not letting it show…but deep down I was so terrified…

"Dr. Banner!" I called more firmly.

Pacing the room a little, the older man ran his fingers over his short dark curls, "…It…appears as though we've miscalculated just how serious the situation is…" he began, my heart beating hastily inside of my chest. He finally stopped wandering and faced me with crossed arms.

He was visibly uncomfortable being the one to deliver the news but I urged him to tell me, "…Please tell me what is going on…"

"The Tesseract is a controlling source of power…and with power you need energy—energy it once had enough of as a whole cosmic cube. Without its entire half to provide it with the energy, it can't sustain its power. Since falling apart, each fragment has been nursing itself through living organisms…"

When he paused, I pushed, "…What does that mean? I don't understand…"

Dr. Banner looked over to Steve, debating whether to tell me the rest or not. With a subtle nod from the Captain, he carried on and explained it in simpler terms, "…These shattered pieces of the Tesseract have been eating the energy of anything around it, just to maintain the power it's been known to have… That night, when you touched the Tesseract's fragment, it leeched itself onto you… All those headaches you've been feeling, that's the effect of it taking the life out of you."

For a second, I had forgotten how to breathe. I felt like a blow had been delivered right in the gut, nearly knocking the wind out of me. "…I-I…" I brought a hand over my heart, taking a minute to control my breathing, "A-are…are you saying—saying that I'm dying…? I-I-I just…I don't understand…!"

I laughed. This was some joke, right?

My panicked eyes looked to Steve for some kind of confirmation that I wasn't going insane, "H-he's wrong right?! Yeah?"

"…I'm sorry…" He had to look away from me, like it was unbearable to look at me in this pitiful state.

No. _NO_.

"Bring what you have so far of the Tesseract to me then! Make it transfer from me over to it—just like we discussed, Dr. Banner! Do it now!" My trembling hands came to clutch the sides of my head, fingers frantically gripping strands of my hair.

The Super Solider came over to my side, bringing a firm hand atop my shaking shoulder, "Miss. Hayes…"

"If I do that…" responded Bruce, "…the chances of you surviving…are slim to none. By now it's gotten a good grasp on you, I'm afraid that you may be running on it…than it running on you."

In less than a few minutes, the clock to my final days had been set—my death _impending_…


	7. Final D E C I S I O N

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Once again, I'm pleased to see the wonderful follows I've been receiving, it always brightens my day!

I try taking things at a realistic pace and build character development as it's key to any story, right? :P So I apologize if things seem a little slow! I promise now we'll begin seeing more Steve and Original Character interaction and of course, some action! ;D

Thanks again guys! I love you all!

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _SIX_:**

_"Final Decision"_

* * *

"It's not fair!"

"I know, but there's still hope… Why not just take it? No offense, but you're being incredibly stubborn, I wish you wouldn't be…"

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one _dying_!"

I turned my head away, gazing out the window reasonably miserable. It'd been a month and a half since I received the dreadful news from Dr. Banner about my condition and what the fragment of the Tesseract was doing to me. It motivated the others to locate the other pieces before another poor soul came across it and winds up in my situation, too.

Despite how bitter I was, I really didn't want anyone going through what I was going through…

Dr. Banner would occasionally check on me when I wasn't sleeping or already being looked after by the other doctors and scientists within the private infirmary—more having been transferred over after I accidentally created a force field strong enough to push everything surrounding my bed against the wall, and all from _one_ sneeze.

I knew the Tesseract was beginning to frequently react inside of me the more time passed, the headaches having even gotten much stronger and unbearable. I found the memories weren't as regular though—maybe once a week in my sleep.

Like a recurring dream, much like Dr. Banner put it.

Today Pepper came to visit, gifting me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers to give a bit of life to the room, as well as some mint chocolate ice cream. She'd been away on business lately so I wasn't surprised by the reaction I'd received from the CEO when my frail appearance became clear to her.

It wasn't only physically that I'd been strained; I now wasn't allowed to contact my Uncle Arnold and had to make up some lie to keep him from worrying when I wasn't able to make it for the annual BBQ he held every year. It'd been the first time I missed it. Coulson explained to me that it had been for his safety, that there were other forces out there also searching for the Tesseract's fragments…so I supposed that had been a decent enough reason for me to stop whining about it.

I could recall the email:

_Hey,_

_So guess what? I won a trip to travel across Europe—I know—crazy, right? And because of that I won't be able to email you for a while… Also, I'm going to have to miss that barbeque, but save some for me, alright? Don't worry about me; I'll be too busy taking in the European sights to get into any trouble! _

_Much love,_

_Val. _

Each word typed out pained me, my tears having blurred my vision from the screen, as I knew that I would never see him again… That this would most likely be the last email I ever sent to him.

All I asked Coulson was to ensure my Uncle got my body for a proper burial…

"Well, could you please consider giving it a bit more thought?" Pepper pleaded.

Since she sat down, Pepper had been trying to convince me to take the risk of trying to transfer the fragment inside of me onto what was there of the actual cosmic cube. I was told the chances of me surviving was less than likely and that'd been enough for me to just accept my fate and let my body give out on its own.

"I'm sorry, Pepper…but I've made up my mind." If Steve couldn't even convince me, I knew Pepper wouldn't be able to either.

The Super Solider had been quite attentive to my needs—stopping by any chance he got through his busy missions to see how I was doing. I didn't think much of it at first because Coulson, Pepper, and Dr. Banner had been doing the same thing… But that had been until Tony Stark came to visit one day and by the end of his visit I was left astound from the genuinely reflective words he said regarding the Captain. Told me despite the constant bantering, the billionaire held a lot of respect for Steve.

I'd also been spoiled with gifts, mostly giant stuffed bears and expensive sets of flowers.

I never thought about how serious these heroes took their job—the weight on their shoulders and how heavy it grew with each failed mission, casualty—the guilt really took a toll on them. They felt the need to hold so much responsibility for us, but I wondered if that was such a good idea. There was bound to always be causalities—take the attack in New York for instance.

Steve felt responsible for my condition regardless of it not being his fault—in fact having nothing to do with him. The look in the others' eyes told me they felt the same, too.

"…Pepper, do you think I'm making them feel like it's their fault this is happening to me…?" I murmured, taking the small mirror that sat atop the table into my hands and inspecting my face for the third time today.

Each time had my stomach twisting in disgust, eyes wavering at the unpleasant sight that I carried with me now. I'd lost so much weight that the cheek bones on my face became more defined, my lips losing its natural rosy color… My dark brown iris held lifelessness to them, much like the rest of my body. I was constantly overwhelmed by my overtiredness, limiting me to get out of bed. I spent most days gazing outside my window, watching each day pass me by…

"Valentine, please don't do this to yourself," Pepper sighed. "Things happen, things that are usually beyond our control… They know this."

I frowned, "Yeah…" She was right. I knew she was. "I don't think I'll ever get over this… How can I?"

Even Pepper didn't have the answer…

* * *

Just when I thought things couldn't get any more complicated… Well, they did. It was more complicated than I wanted things to get, but I'm sure anyone else would say that, too.

The good news was they managed to locate the remaining fragments and The Avengers no longer had to exhaust themselves by searching across the world for pieces of the Tesseract anymore. Even I was getting tired of hearing about it.

During their return home they were encountered by a few aliens they referred to as 'Chitauri'—the same alien species that had attacked Manhattan. Tony swore to have destroying their base… He, as well as the others, were speechless to the sudden revelation that more returned for the Tesseract.

You could imagine my relief when they managed to fend them off without a scratch, but that meant they were close enough to come and invade the planet now, too. We'd been convinced that they wanted the Tesseract to open another portal again.

Since then I'd been given extra protection, having been the remaining piece to making the hypercube complete again.

This had been where things got difficult.

The board members that Director Fury answered to was informed of the situation and their decision was not one any of us wanted to hear—including myself.

"Well that's too bad." Steve stood tall in front of me, staring back at Director Fury and Agent Hill defiantly.

We were all gathered in the hallway of the infirmary. I'd been sitting in a wheelchair, wrapped up in my thick blanket to keep me warm. I was not in any condition to walk on my own—barely had enough energy to keep my eyes open.

"Is this necessary?" Dr. Banner questioned, brows pressed together. "The least we can do is give Miss. Hayes a little more time…"

"All the time she needs," corrected the Captain. "This is wrong and you know it!"

It'd been ordered that they were to remove the Tesseract from me immediately, the council seeing it as I was too much of a risk to them. The longer I kept holding them back from completing the Tesseract, the more time it gave the aliens to plan an attack. The council was convinced that once the Tesseract was taken back where it came from, the Chitauri would become less of a problem for them.

It was true, but…

"Calm down," Fury barked, "No one is going to do anything, but you have to realize the potential danger this brings—not just for us, it's the entire world! Do we really want to risk the life of every person on this planet just to save _one_?"

The Director's words stung, but I tried not letting it show.

"Since when do you listen to what the World Security Council tells you what to do?" Tony finally asked while standing next to Dr. Banner and Thor, his arms crossed firmly over his chest. "Don't tell me you're bending over now…"

"I'm taking my own thoughts into consideration, as well as the rest of the population who don't get much of a say in any of this." argued Fury. "I suggest the rest of you do the same."

Thor decided to finally speak his part with so much authority roaring behind his deep voice, "Where I come from we do not abandon one of our own… We stand united, conquer any obstacle in our way, therefore I shall stand by this tiny human and will honor any decision she chooses to take upon herself."

I eyed Thor with wide eyes, "…T-thank you, Thor…"

I didn't expect anyone of them to take my side…but here they were, one by one, resisting against any orders given. It told me a lot about them, that what they did was influenced on their own morals and not just S.H.I.E.L.D's.

My dry throat began irritating me and I coughed into my thin fist, each time receiving sympathetic stares from the others. I'd been so used to it by now I didn't think much of it anymore.

Before the tension in the room erupted into something worst, I closed my eyes and sighed, "…I've…been thinking about it…" I lied. I just wanted to live. "…I want to do what's right…" I opened my eyes, staring directly at Director Fury, "…I'll…go through with the procedure…"

Tony was the first to lean in, observing my face as though looking for confirmation that I meant what I said.

I could tell the others weren't too sure about my decision either.

"…Look, I'm grateful to each one of you for supporting me, even though I was the idiot who had brought this upon herself…" I laughed faintly, trying to mask my fear. I was going to die. "…If…it means…"

I had to pause and take a moment to collect myself—the reality of my fate having just become so clear to me… God, there was just so much I've yet to experience—love, career, marriage, children… I felt like this was happening _too_ fast.

"You don't have to do this," assured Steve.

I took a deep breath, "I know…but I want to…" I blinked the tears away, "…All I ask is for a few months to…prepare."

There was a brief moment of confused silence. "…Very well, if you're sure…?" Fury looked to Agent Hill, "Alert the staff to make the appropriate preparations until then…"

I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of guilt reach the man's face, though very brief. I could have been mistaken… I knew none of them were bad people…they were just trying to save the world.

I didn't hold it against them.

Natasha and Clint were quiet the entire time—the two talented assassins that I could only imagine were trained not to let their emotions get the best of them or let it show, especially for someone they didn't know. None of them really knew me though.

Tony had left the room without a word and I was instantly reminded of the words that had come out of his mouth regarding the obligation to protecting people, and how they took it seriously—something I admired them for, but for other people…not myself. I didn't want them feeling responsible for my life.

"Are you cold?"

My eyes moved from the doorway where Tony had disappeared through, glancing over to Steve as he adjusted my blanket a little, averting eye contact from me. He held that same hard look on his face: his rosy pale lips pursed, jaw tense, and brows furrowed—a face he made when he disapproved of something. I saw it every time a word came out of Tony's mouth.

I smiled faintly, trying to comfort him despite it being me who needed it. "I'm cozy…" Reaching a hand out to touch his, the Captain flinched at the icy contact of my fingers. I yanked my hand back quickly, "S-sorry…"

"…No…don't be…" he mumbled before excusing himself and following after Tony.

I hated seeing the guys so down—I missed when they had their childish arguments in the same room, or hearing Tony's witty remarks.

I was just trying to do the right thing…

"…I'll take you back and check your body temperature…" Dr. Banner offered, moving behind my wheelchair and taking hold of the handles.

I nodded quietly, my thoughts more concentrated on the Super Solider. Steve had this honorable and chivalrous personality, as well as strong protective instincts like every leader should have, so I tried not taking his frustration too personally… I knew he just wanted to save one of his 'men' from losing the battle.

He really was Captain of the team.

* * *

When I couldn't sleep, I usually just watched television off of the overly expensive and large screen—courtesy of Mr. Stark himself—sitting against the wall of my assigned room.

Hearing a small knock on my door, I was greeted by the sight of Steve.

"Hey," I smiled, actually glad to see him. "Every time I see you I have the urge to ask you what you want to order…" A weak laugh came from me, followed by cough from the strain on my fragile lungs.

I could tell Steve was torn about smiling, obviously still blaming himself for this.

"…How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

Seeing him just stand awkwardly by the door, I sighed. "…Maybe we…can talk about something…other than my health?"

I figured it would do us both some good.

He seemed surprised by my request and slowly nodded, "…Alright, if that's what you want."

I nodded, gesturing for him to sit at the chair positioned next to my bed. Once he did, his gaze grazed over me and I momentarily froze under it. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes and long eyelashes I'd ever seen—wondering if he knew that himself.

I tore my eyes away when I felt like I'd been staring too long. "U-um…so…who was that woman you drew when I last served you at the café?"

Steve seemed puzzled for a second before finally recalling his sketch and answering, "…Her name was Peggy Carter… We…knew each other back when I fought in the war…" I could see the sadness of reminiscing in his eyes.

"She was beautiful…"

Steve held his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees. He hung his head slightly, a small grin showing, "…She was incredible, too…" His voice, it told me all I needed to know. They must have been lovers.

I swallowed, "…I'm…sorry about how things ended—you know, you becoming a block of ice and all… Do you miss it? Your old life I mean…"

"My life was no different than today… We're surrounded by conflict every day here; it's safe to say that it was the same back then. The way of living in this century was something I never imagined getting used to."

"But you did?" I smiled.

"I did." He finally lifted his head to look at me properly. "I try not becoming too dependent on technology though… Don't think I ever will."

I giggled, "Fair enough."

I enjoyed Steve's company—even more so now that it wasn't followed by the word Tesseract or aliens. This was nice…

"…Is there anything I can at least do to make you…more comfortable?" Steve suddenly offered, yet was careful with how he said the words.

I was taken aback, "Oh…" I thought about it. "…Do you think you can get me out of here…? I just want a bit of fresh air…" The facility was still within Central New York.

Steve looked over his shoulder to peek outside the room before fixing his attention back onto me. I could see the hesitation flickering in his blue eyes before he finally stood up and went to retrieve the wheelchair, "We'll go through the back."


	8. A S Y L U M

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Holy—guys, really!? I can't believe it, 14 more flipping reviews? I LOVE YOU! Thank you sooo much! Please, keep them coming! Honestly, the feedback and continued support means the world to me! I'm glad that my story wasn't a complete flop. :P Just…thank you guys for still being interested despite how uneventful some of these chapters have been. XD

I'm actually proud of my work in all honesty and am glad you think so, too. As promised, I have posted a new chapter since I received some great reviews. Also, there is ACTION in this baby! ;)

Oh, and just an update for those of you who started the story around the time this was published, I have gone back and fixed any slight typos I came across, as well as did a touch up to the Prologue to keep it more interesting and now that I have a better idea where I'm going with this story. I'm pretty excited!

**Special thanks to my AMAZING reviewers:**

**Sandy-wmd, xXDELICATE-CAGEXx, Guest, KiraKira72, Flowers Evidence, CarrieDanny, Miss Iron Maiden. **

**You are all my stars!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _SEVEN_:**

_"Asylum"_

* * *

Daylight had never felt so good. The fresh, crisp, clean afternoon air had taken away all of my problems in just one whiff—I never felt more relaxed in months. For a moment I felt as though I were that same little girl, sitting atop the park bench with her uncle while feeding the ducks. The memories brought back a blissful warmth to my heart, one that I didn't want leaving me anytime soon.

It was a very good feeling…I embraced it with every ounce of me.

"Thank you for this," I whispered to Steve, feeling the tightness in my throat. I was getting all chocked up.

"You're welcome."

I could almost hear his smile from behind me. Steve seemed rather pleased with himself and I was grateful for it. We watched the quiet river flowing naturally from atop the bridge he'd taken me to—the relaxing sight having me forget how cold I was. I really think what made it that much more beautiful was the change in colors the leaves had now began displaying.

Fall was just about here… I was glad I was able to see the season one last time at least.

I wore a white winter jacket under the thick blanket I'd brought with me to cover myself as I sat in the wheelchair—even had a grey winter cap atop my head, mainly wanting to hide away my appearance… Even my hair thinned out so much, there was no volume or much color to it.

"Thanks for also not being too weird about…well, my appearance." I sheepishly said. "I feel like everyone is too scared to touch me or something… Maybe I'm just repulsive now…"

I felt it, too.

"You're still the same person you were before," clarified the Captain. "Appearance doesn't define who you are…"

I closed my eyes, smiling blissfully at the autumn breeze. "…I know…but it's hard to remember who I used to be when I look in the mirror…" Not that I was any better. I was an average height woman who couldn't do much with her hair except keep it down or in a bun—a bun that added to her glasses in all the wrong ways. I could always get contacts but I was too scared of putting anything in my eyes. "I was never perfect…but I wasn't as physically damaged as I am right now… You must never get that problem…"

I opened my eyes, looking over my shoulder at him. Steve was just so…_perfect_—physically and in personality, too. I mean, this right here—this man was the ideal man.

"…That's not true… I used to be a lot different than I am today…" he murmured, casting his gaze to the blue sky.

I was astonished to hear him say that… What could have been different about him back then? Sense of fashion? Because I could totally believe it. I didn't get the style of the 40s at all.

"I was a fairly small man…" Steve finally explained, "I'd been bullied and pushed around a lot—even rejected by the US recruiting and Induction Center. It didn't matter which city I went to."

"…That was when Dr. Abraham Erskine approached you, right…?" I questioned for confirmation, "And you did the experiment—the serum with 'Vita-Rays' and all that…?"Seeing him arch a brow at me, not at all expecting me to have knowledge of it, I smiled, "Coulson practically made me read your biography…"

"Oh…" He chuckled, "Then I can spare you from listening to an old man blabbering on about his war stories."

He was physically young and fit, I kept forgetting he'd technically be considered an older man if he hadn't been frozen and injected with the Super Serum.

Facing the serene view once more, I brought the blanket closer around me and cuddled it in warmth, "I actually don't mind it… It's always interesting hearing about the life of someone else—especially a man with your history."

The Captain saw the invitation and told me what he felt like telling me… I learned about his friend Bucky and how he also served in the military and fought in the war. When he got to how Bucky passed, I could tell reflecting on it brought back those mournful memories…

Steve had abruptly turned his head back, the sudden jerk of his movements felt on the wheelchair's handles and causing me to glance back in concern, "Everything alright…?"

"They found us."

It was then I was met with the sight of one of S.H.I.E.L.D's black jeeps pulling over behind us, Coulson stepping out with a look of disproval. He spoke into his ear piece, "I've located them."

I frowned, guilt overcoming me as I knew the scolding poor Steve would be receiving and I ju—

"What were you thinking, Miss Hayes?"

Wait, _what_?

I had been left speechless, incapable of answering the agent right away. Why the hell was _I_ getting yelled at?

"It's my fault, I took her out for some air," Steve explained, willing to take the blame completely.

As I was about to add that I asked the Super Solider to take me out, Agent Coulson responded, "There's no need to get yourself involved, Captain." His eyes remained on mine, like a father catching his teenage daughter trying to sneak out.

I wasn't sure how to react to this… Coulson must have been cutting Steve some slack, which I supposed worked out for the best since I didn't want the Avenger getting into trouble on my account.

"You know the status under your name, this was incredibly irresponsible of you!" he finally scolded. "What if something had happened? You're still responsible for your actions and the lives of everyone else around you."

"Now hang on just a second," Steve stepped forward, "I was just as much responsible for this as she was—besides she wanted a bit of fresh air."

Coulson's eyes shifted from me onto the Captain as though struggling where he stood, before finally making his way back to the jeep and opening the back passenger door, "Just get inside."

Did Steve have some kind of charm on Coulson, too? Amazing…

By the time we'd returned back and got another more frightening scolding from Director Fury himself, I later learned Coulson was a fan of Captain America—no, wait, _fan_ was an understatement. The agent idolized the solider, even collecting his cards from ages ago.

I now know who to turn to when I got on the agent's bad side!

* * *

"A message?" I lowered the bowl of hot tomato soup from my pale lips, eyeing Dr. Banner and Tony in surprise.

Day…I don't know, I lost track. It's been weeks since Steve and I visited the park at least.

Nothing much had changed…except I learned Dr. Banner had been aiding the science team in creating a serum of my own—one that would better the chances of my survival anyways. There was no luck quite yet, but I kept myself hopeful. Everyone did.

Today Tony and Dr. Banner came to pay me a rather unexpected and urgent visit with even more unexpected news to follow. Apparently the aliens managed to send S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters a message through a hacked satellite feed, threatening that they'd be coming for the Tesseract after learning the organization had obtained all of the pieces. There was no actual confirmation if they knew about me so Director Fury ordered to have me evacuated.

"You'll be taken somewhere safe for the time being. You'll be out of danger that way." Dr. Banner guaranteed. Considering my condition I wasn't going to argue.

"God…" I felt my heart racing in apprehension. I had to swallow before speaking, "…You're…not going to fight are you…?"

What a stupid question… That's part of the job.

"Well I don't think these guys are coming here to party with us," Tony remarked sarcastically. He then gestured to Dr. Banner, "Doctor will stay with you, as well as Agent."

"Agent?" I questioned.

"Coulson," Dr. Banner corrected.

"His first name is Agent." Tony stated rather insistently.

I wasn't going to argue. My mind was so focused on the commotion going on, I just decided to let them do what they did best and that was it. I was worried about what the outcome might be though… I wished I was more useful, that I could be of better assistance.

Bringing the wheelchair around, they helped me on it before the doctor himself began leading me away, Tony following behind hastily. As we reached the helipad, I saw our awaiting helicopter. I also noticed staff members unable to fight were also being taken to safety.

After being placed inside, I looked over to Tony and shouted over the spinning propellers, "Please be careful…! All of you!"

Taking a few steps away from the chopper, the billionaire saluted in response. He seemed confident, like there was nothing to fear—something I'm sure he was used to. Going into your fair share of battles in a suit like Iron Man's and coming out alive, I was sure Tony would be fine, too.

The others as well.

When the door closed, I glanced over to see Coulson had been sitting at the front with the pilot and instructing him.

I clutched weakly onto the blanket placed over my laps, watching uneasily as the facility became smaller and more out of my sight as we took off into the grey skies. I'd never been told where the Tesseract was being transferred, and probably for my own safety, so I never asked of it.

Dr. Banner and Agent Coulson had taken me to a more secluded area, much far out from the city. Only seeing evergreen trees below us, I looked over to Coulson. "Where are we…?"

"We're at one of our asylums. We should be safe here until things have calmed down… I wouldn't worry about anything touching us here."

That did put me more at ease, but as long as the others are out there fighting in a possible invasion—another one, yeah—I didn't think I'd be able to sleep at all.

When we arrived, Dr. Banner brought me to another private room while Agent Coulson set up communication so we knew what was going on at all times. My temporary room wasn't as entirely homey as the last one was made (no flowers, television, stuffed animals) but I wasn't about to whine about it. At least it was warm again and I had a bed to lie on.

I was eventually left alone to rest but my mind was racing with thoughts and concerns—and I know I said I was confident through Tony's own confidence and all, but now I was beginning to reassess this entire situation…

Steve.

I had then just become completely aware that the Super Solider would be dragged into this battle—not at all sure why it hadn't come to me sooner. My worries deepened. "…Steve…" I murmured very quietly.

I felt closest to him since he opened up to me that day, I didn't want to lose him. None of them to be honest. Admittedly, in the months we've spent together I felt closer to the Avengers—mostly Stark, Banner, Coulson, and Rogers—but yes… I've had only Uncle Arnold for as long as I could remember, I forgot what it was like to be part of another kind of family.

Maybe I was the only one who saw us like that.

I sighed, pushing my glasses further up the bridge of my nose.

* * *

I had been awoken by an abrupt quake of the ground—startled the hell out of me! I sat up in alarm, my heart just about to tear from inside of my chest!

I quickly put my glasses on.

Frantically looking around in the dark, I could hear panicked running and shouting just outside my room. My instincts told me that this wasn't something to ignore so I reached over for my wheelchair, but just as my delicate hand grasped the handle of it, another tremor sent me hitting the floor by the side of the bed.

I winced in pain, temporarily dazed to act right away. Another shake of the earth had me slowly reaching over for my chair. I hissed at the strain it put on my exhausted body, but pushed past it nonetheless.

"…Ugh…!" After the struggle of just getting myself to sit on it, I needed a moment to hold my head when it throbbed.

In that second, I had tuned everything else out. _Just a minute_, I told myself. _Not now, please… _

When my headache lessened enough for me to think, I took the opportunity to wheel myself towards the door and opened it with caution. There had been no windows within the room aside from the small one on my door, but that was hardly large enough to be considered a window. If anything it was like…decoration…or something to that extent.

I was getting distracted.

As I peeked through the small crack I opened, I wasn't able to make out much… It was just an empty hall. Rolling out further, I looked to my left and right—still nothing. Not a living thing in sight.

"Dr. Banner?!" I called, "Agent Coulson?!"

Just when my fingers brushed the rim of the chair's wheels, preparing to give myself another push onward, a ferociously loud roaring caught my ears and had me scream in alarm. The next thing I knew, something had been thrown through the wall and into the hallway I sat vulnerably in.

With another terrified scream, I started to desperately wheel myself away as fast as I could with these thin arms that lacked any muscles—I didn't get far at all. In fact, I had become fatigued after a few pushes.

Hearing what sounded like dying clicks, I managed to find the courage to look over at who had been thrown through the wall to see something beyond being considered a human—an alien. Monster, maybe.

It was disgusting.

So many questions had begun popping up, so many unanswered—I was stunned, petrified. I couldn't even form the possibilities of what could have happened while I was sleeping, everything just felt so rushed, I was feeling dizzy…

Another scream emitted from my petite form when my chair had been unexpectedly yanked back with my entire back smacking against the marbled floor, my glasses surprisingly still in place. When I came to, I found myself face to face with one of the creatures. It was observing me—it's face too close for comfort!

They appeared much more cyborg-like than anything else.

I was suddenly paralyzed with fear, my voice absolutely gone! Staring into the alien's piercing green orbs, my own eyes were wide and welling up with tears. I could only whimper as it held one of its sharp nails to my face.

Turning my head away, it lightly grazed it down my cheek, traveling to my neck and stopping short above my wildly beating heart. It spoke in dialect I couldn't comprehend even if I tried to, like it were taunting me…flaunting its current dominance over me.

I finally let out a soft sob, begging it not to hurt me…my body shivering the entire time.

A breathless gasp slipped past my quivering lips when it's cold, wrinkled hand came to grasp around my throat, gripping its fingers around it incredibly tightly. My hands instinctively came around the creature's wrists, trying to pry it off. My feet started thrashing, I could feel my air circulation being cut and it became difficult to breath—!

All of a sudden something whizzed right over me, way too fast for me to make out what it was, but heavy enough to knock the alien off of me and free me of its suffocating hold. I immediately gasped in air, rolling onto my stomach, coughing and crying hysterically.

I had been so sure I was going to die—I still had no idea what had just happened!

Observing the unconscious creature once my breathing was stable again, I instantly spotted a large round shield lying next to it. It had the American colors to it and a bold white star in the center. It was also scratched and covered in mud, having been used in combat.

Feeling a hand come to my back while the other gently turned me over, I burst into tears at the sight. "Steve!" I cried.

I held onto the man firmly, sobbing uncontrollably into his warm chest.

"You're alright now…" he hushed me. I appreciated his arms holding my smaller form against him, giving me the security he knew I had needed.

The building rattling once again broke the moment and Steve pulled back to look me in the eyes, "Come on, we're getting out of here!"

The Captain left to quickly retrieve his patriotic shield and strapped it to his back before coming back to my side. "Let's go," Taking me into his arms, a surprised noise came from me. I had not at all expected the man to pick me up.

Steve sprinted, my weight not at all affecting him as he did. I wanted to ask what was going on but instead I brought my arms around the back of his neck, keeping myself close to him as we came across an emergency exit.

Kicking the doors opened, I was greeted by the cold night air. Before I had the chance to feel any kind of relief, someone began shooting in our direction. The bullets eventually came in contact with Captain America's shield once he had his back turned to them, making another run for it.

I'd been left too terrified to scream.

Glancing to Steve's left, I saw another alien pointing its gun at us, "Look out!" I cried—watching as the alien then fell face first. Seeing an arrow had pierced the creature's back, my eyes widen in relief. That was when I saw Clint Barton—Hawkeye, sorry—perched on one of the trees.

He waved Steve over.

Being brought into the bushes just below Hawkeye's tree, the Captain gently placed me on my feet before having me crouch down on my knees. "Stay here, Hawkeye will cover you!" he instructed.

Looking past the Avenger, I finally took in the horrific sight—many S.H.I.E.L.D agents that had been within the asylum lay dead, others defending against the group of aliens surrounding the perimeter, including the rest of the Avengers.

The darkness of night would have probably proven to be a disadvantage for us if not for the lights emitting off the aliens, as well as the raging fire that began burning the building.

I brought a hand over my mouth, "…Oh my god…!"

"Stay put, can you do that for me?" I looked back at Steve, nodding my head slowly with a look of shock still set on my face. "Good."

With that, he took off to join the others in battle and I had been left watching—never going to be able to forget this night…


	9. Through P A I N

_**KANO-STAR:**_

'Ello lovelies!

Oh man,what a great week! All these lovely reviews and follows this story has been receiving, the new Captain America: The Winter Solider Trailer released today—I am so happy! Obviously this story wouldn't have gotten as far as it has today if it weren't for you wonderful readers so I appreciate it!

After this chapter you can count on things getting much more interesting—though I hope you've still been enjoying it! either way, expect all kinds of craziness after this chapter. :P

When I get time to type out these chapters, I'm usually a bit of a zombie and I need countless breaks to get my creative gears running, and in result, I tend to make errors I miss even after rereading my chapters. So I apologize if there are ever any nasty typos—I will try to avoid them. :D

Please keep the reviews coming—keep me motivated and help make this story more of a success! I welcome input, I like knowing what you think of my chapters and overall story, so thanks!

**Special thanks to my reviewers:**

**Sandy-wmd (Thanks again for pointing out the typos!), CarrieDanny, thunderr-stormm, star-stangled-girlz, FlowersEvidence, Shadoww, Chibi78, XxDELICATE-CAGExX, Jo, and KiraKira72! **

**I LOVE YOU ALL. THANK YOU!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _EIGHT_:**

_"Through Pain"_

* * *

"You can open your eyes now…"

"No, please, I don't want to…"

"It's alright… It's over. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

"I… I can't open them!"

I'd remained still and cold, sitting where I'd been left in place behind the thick itchy bushes—scared senseless! I felt like I was in Manhattan again, keeping myself hidden while desperately praying to see another day again.

The deafening screams, the pounding of my heart inside my head…

This time I was in the middle of nowhere, front row seats to the onslaught of extra-terrestrials.

When things had gotten to that point where it'd become too much to bear, I brought my freezing thin hands over my eyes to shut out the entire conflict before me. I detested violence or anything to do with it. Anyone who knew me well enough would know that… I just didn't belong here. I really was the fish out of water with S.H.I.E.L.D and The Avengers—all of it!

I could hear everything going on around me—propellers and the sound of wheels pulling up louder amongst the frantic chatting and barking of orders. The battle had been won, but the war against these aliens was certainly not over.

"You should get yourselves looked at…especially you, 'Cap." Tony advised while approaching us, each step heavy from his iron suit.

Steve was hurt?

That was when I finally gathered the courage to lower my hands, staring directly ahead of me where I was able to take in the condition Captain America had be left in.

"Oh, Steve…" I winced at the sight.

At my quiet voice, the solider tore his gaze from Tony and returned it onto me. I could now not only see the fresh blood trickling down the side of his face, but the slight bruising on his forehead and chin. He also had a few cuts that were covered in mud and sweat.

"I'll live," he assured before pushing himself up from kneeling on one knee. He then extended a hand to me. "I'd rather we got you looked at."

"I'm fine, just cold and tired…" I admitted, taking his larger hand. He pulled me to my feet with ease and brought his other hand to the small of my back to support me. I wasn't used to getting around without my wheelchair—now engulfed in flames along with the rest of the building.

As the Captain lead me towards the medics, I warily took in the gruesome sight of what had been left after their battle… Bodies—I couldn't count how many had been laying there, some in suits and others in lab coats, most covered by white sheets…

Just…just so _many_ bodies…

By the time we arrived at the back of the jeep where a few of the medics tended to Natasha's bleeding arm, I had suddenly felt nauseous and pulled away from Steve in time to puke into the bushes close by.

Briefly my mind flashed back to that moment—that life-changing scene—that would forever be embedded into my heart. I couldn't tell you how much more of this exposure I could take mentally…

I then felt a hand rub my back, an instant sense of guilt overcoming me—I didn't deserve the comfort…this had been _my_ entire fault. I was the one who ran when I could have just given them what they wanted and spare these men and women their lives…

"Let's get you out of here…" Steve's voice was soft as he helped me back up.

Without a thought, I flew back into his arms. I held my face to his chest, my small quivering frame leaning into his, sobbing for all I was worth. I couldn't take it anymore—this was so unbearable, I just wanted everything to stop!

Feeling the Avenger hold me in silent comfort, I continued letting it all out…

* * *

The next month had been quite frantic and stressful for everyone, mainly having to communicate through a private channel—one much more private than before. The aliens—later revealed to me to be Chitauri—managed to hack into all of S.H.I.E.L.D's communications and obtain classified data, including my situation with the Tesseract. That had been what lead them to the asylum.

Tony assured through JARVIS that no creatures from space would be able to hack so easily into their database again.

I, as well as the Tesseract, had been moved once again, but this time to a much more remote area out of the country. There hadn't been any invasions since, however nobody was foolish enough to actually consider the chance that the Chitauri had given up.

As for myself, I'd been beginning to fall more ill as days turned to weeks… I knew my time was just about up, but I kept pushing until I woke up to another day.

As a precaution, Fury asked the Avengers to assist himself and Agent Hill to the facility I'd been located at. Back when I started getting accustomed to this bizarre new routine, I welcomed the idea of the the mighty heroes keeping me company.

Now? I wanted to be left on my own…

Since that night, I hadn't been myself. I knew this, I just chose to ignore it and let myself grieve alone. It was not only for those lives lost, but for my own—now days away from being lost, too. It just made the process so much easier…

The Avengers also needed time to themselves… It was another failed mission and another reason to feel even guiltier.

I sighed.

Hearing a click at the door, I slowly turned my head in its direction to see a couple of doctors coming up to my bed. I was startled; they were usually escorted by Dr. Banner or Coulson—sometimes both. One of them even brought a wheelchair.

"We have orders to take you in."

"Oh…" I assumed the order had been given by Director Fury, maybe another checkup, so said nothing of it and willingly went with them. I never said I was sharp when it came to instincts—I got in a car with Coulson, a complete stranger at the time, after all.

The next thing I knew I was being brought into one of the operating rooms, a table set out for me to lay on. I could feel chills—unpleasant ones. I now got a bad vibe from all of this. "…What kind of checkup is this again…?" I inquired nervously.

They lifted me onto the table, pushing me down without so much as an answer. "Please try and relax…" a woman said, inching an oxygen mask to my face. They weren't wasting anytime!

I managed to swat it away with what little strength I had left, "No, what are you doing…!?"

Taking advantage of my condition, they only needed one doctor to pin me down while she continued. Meanwhile, I began screaming for help. I panicked and frantically tried breaking their hold on me, a futile attempt.

Had Fury decided to just go ahead with the procedure!?

Just then—"HEY!"

The tone of their voice made me jump in surprise. As every head in that room turned, I lifted my own to see a man I was beginning to think was more of a guardian angel—the Captain himself—his piercing blue eyes narrowing intensely at the scene.

I gazed at him for a few seconds longer before noticing a few doctors trying to apprehend the Avenger so he wouldn't interfere. If there hadn't been any red flags detected before—well, I sure as hell just got them now!

Of course, Steve took them out with no problem and quickly filled the gap between myself and him. The other doctors that had been holding me down all cowered against the wall.

"You have incredible timing, Steve…" I breathed in relief.

"You have a terrible habit of getting yourself into a lot of trouble, ma'am." Just as he lifted me up into his strong arms, the sound of trotting footsteps had been heard from outside the corridor.

"Damn." Gently placing me back down on the table, Steve took a step forward in front of me and waited for the next set of men willing to take him on.

We were both left equally surprised to see Fury running in with a pistol in his hand and Agent Hill behind him, as well as a few other agents. Before assumptions could be made, Fury lowered his gun and looked around to see Steve had taken out most of the doctors.

He sighed in relief, finally looking over at us, "You both alright?"

Steve frowned, shoulders relaxing. "Want to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

Agent Hill ordered the agents to arrest the unconscious doctors, as well as the ones still trembling by the wall. Fury walked past them and made his way over to us, "The council doing what they do best… 'Pissed off about the attack we suffered a month ago, they ordered to have the Tesseract's fragment immediately removed from Miss Hayes without my authorization."

I lowered my gaze, a sting of guilt returning to me…

"First the nuclear and now this…" Steve murmured. "They just don't give up…"

I knew this council that Fury answered to had asked him to take it out of me months ago… I didn't blame them at all for going ahead and taking action. They must have seen what I saw, too—that it all could have been prevented if I had just given the fragment up from the start…

I looked down at my trembling hand—so thin and pale—and decided right then and there I would make things right and prevent anymore disasters. Shutting my eyes tightly, I blurted, "I'm ready to die now!"

A momentary silence filled the room…

"Miss Hayes?" Steve expressed his confusion most, "What are you saying? You can't possibly mean that…"

"I just want this all to be over—I don't want any more people getting hurt because I'm what's keeping Thor from bringing the Tesseract back! If it's back to where it came from…no more aliens would come here anymore, right?"

While Steve stood there speechless, Fury answered, "Yes…that's correct."

I could feel the tears coming on—I didn't want them to see me like this, especially when I was convincing them to do this. I had already embarrassed myself in front of them enough. "Please…" I sniffed. "…I know I don't have much time anyways…"

The Captain cleared his throat, "You don't have to do—"

"Yes I do!" I interjected, "I do! If this means I finally get to do something—something useful for once and help, then that's what I'm doing!"

That statement alone made me want this even more… To be remembered as a hero, how wonderful would that be…? I may not have ever lived most of my life to see my goals accomplished…but this should make up for it, shouldn't it?

Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm not bitter—I'm honestly not.

If this one sacrifice meant saving the world from anymore tragedy…I'll do it.

"You're sure about this?" Fury wanted to confirm. "You want to do this now?"

I paused, silently glancing over to Steve. My heart swelled in rejection when he averted his eyes from mine, staring at the ground and clearly disappointed in my decision. This wasn't what they wanted—neither did I—but I knew, and I think Steve did, too, that this was eventually going to happen anyways.

"Yes…" I answered quietly, "…I'm sure…"

It occurred to me that these would be my final hours… That after today, I would no longer exist—all that I was and the being I was born to become—wiped clean from the face of the earth, like I never _was_. It was a funny thing… There was still so much left to do and I had promised myself I would get to them. I constantly told myself I had all the time in the world to do them, and things that I could have done better…and now?

Now I hadn't any time to do one of those—not _one_!

The worst of it though… I would never see my loving and dedicated uncle again… I would give anything to see those kind brown eyes again…or that welcoming bright smile of his. Just this once. It got me through a lot… I always imagined that I would find a way to repay him for taking me in when no one else could, too.

Oh god…

I never even considered the emotional distress this would bring him once he learned I was dead… I was all he had, and quite frankly, he'd been all _I _had.

In my final moments, Pepper had gone out of her way and taken the time to see me after learning from Tony what had been decided—and all on my own. She made someone so small feel so big, just by paying me a visit. I only then realized we had established a friendship in the time we spent together at the tower.

I'd wanted the heroes to understand and grasp that it was my choice and there'd been no reason to feel _any_ responsibility for it—especially Steve…

Oh, Steve…

Even though I'd only known him for such a short while, I had been so thankful towards his compassion. I never expected for anyone to care so much. He made sure I was comfortable, took the lead and made the situation better—at least for me. I would forever be grateful.

* * *

Opening my eyes, I could feel the cool air circulating the room, brushing against my pale skin and sending shivers throughout my entire fragile body. My sweaty hands came to rest atop my stomach anxiously, the thin fabric of my clinic gown felt surprisingly warm against my palms.

The moment had arrived.

I wish I were able to say I had prepared myself for this…but I don't think anyone could really say they were ever prepared properly for their own death. There was no fear compared to the very fear you felt only seconds before your approaching end.

They planned to sedate me before bringing the Tesseract in—like I would be put into an eternal sleep… I don't know about you, but that had sounded like one of the best ways to go… Die in your sleep. It was painless and peaceful. Didn't stop me from feeling incredibly sick to my stomach though… I couldn't remember the last time my heart pound inside of my chest so aggressively—I felt like it was going to bust out and kill me itself.

I looked over to see Fury stand by the table, "Are you ready?" he asked.

I nodded my head slowly, shamelessly letting my tears flow down my cheeks. Glancing over to the viewing window, I could see the others watching—all with a deep look of apprehension and uncontrollable shame… It guessed it had become too much to tolerate soon enough… Steve and Tony were one of the first to take their leave before Thor and Dr. Banner followed after.

The two assassins kept put though.

"…Still that slim chance…right…?" I reminded with a sniff. Fury gave a silent nod before allowing the procedure to commence. I knew he wanted to start this—probably just as nervous.

Once the mask had been placed, I took a deep breath. Not knowing where I would wind up, that frightened me a lot. Where did souls go after death? I figured I would find out soon enough.

Finally, I allowed myself to be carried away into that deep, everlasting rest…


	10. Wide A W A K E

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Just a quick update, feeling bad I left you wonderful readers on a cliffhanger!

As promised, things will get a bit more interesting and crazy! Also, trying to make chapters a few more words longer. :P

I appreciate the patience—I know sometimes when a fanfiction starts off slow, especially when it comes to character interactions, most readers close the page and move on. I just like taking things slow at the start and give the readers a better idea of who my character is and what got them from point A to B. So hearing many of you say in your reviews that you don't find it slow at all makes me feel better.

Alas, things will hopefully show a different pace. :)

PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THEM!

**Special thanks to my reviewers and their continued support!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _NINE_:**

_"Wide Awake"_

* * *

Death.

Dying…it was surprisingly _warm_ I guess you could say. I don't know… I wasn't cold anymore at least… But, I suppose if I had to describe it, it would be like closing your heavy eyes after a long and exhausting day of laborious work. I'd been completely and suddenly greeted by a very relaxing and motionless sensation all over my weary body…

You could also say it was peaceful and welcoming. Death was actually _welcoming_. I never imagined that "death" and "welcoming" would ever be put in the same sentence before… They also say that when you die, that the memories fondest to you flash before your eyes—it was like a reminder of who and what you were while alive—something I was scared of forgetting.

But I didn't.

No… In fact, I was also able to watch memories that weren't my own, memories that belonged to someone…or _something_ else in this case.

The Tesseract.

I saw its life span and what it'd been through and seen… I saw New York—the attack, _everything_. It had been as though it was actually the Tesseract that was dying and not I… Nothing really made sense at this point, but I was dying…did anything have to?

As time passed on, I was feeling more rejuvenated. I couldn't see, hear, or feel anything aside from that…and complete darkness. Perhaps, (I was beginning to consider) my soul _would_ continue on its travels into the afterlife? That this new transformation on my body was actually what my soul felt like out of its perishing shell?

It'd been months since I could remember what strength felt like again, I was happily enveloped by it.

The last thing I saw during the slideshow that was my entire life was my uncle and, shortly after, The Avengers. If I had been fortunate enough to still remember them, even into the next life, I always would.

_Never forget_, I persistently told myself, hoping to encourage the memory.

Thing had eventually calmed down. There had been no more flashbacks and my mind began slowing the pace of its processed thoughts…

Suddenly, a heartbeat…

Shortly after, a few more were heard until the beating turned into a constant rhythm of pulses. It came to my ears and then I could physically feel myself taking fresh air past my lips and into my gasping lungs. Soon enough, I'd become more aware of my own senses again.

My eyes shot open in alert.

I had not at all been expecting to hear the sound of cars impatiently honking just outside in what sounded like a busy downtown…or birds chirping—even the cool autumn breeze that had entered through the opened window, tickling my hot and sweaty skin, startled me. Startled and confused me.

_Where was I_? This definitely wasn't what I imagined the afterlife to be like…

The sunlight burning my sensitive eyes earned a groan from me as I instinctively turned my head away. I reached for my glasses sitting on the table and placed them over my eyes.

It was blurry though… Did I have the wrong prescriptions on?

Removing them, I blinked my eyes. They had adjusted into a much clearer vision. "…What the hell…?" Since when did I _not_ need my glasses? I practically depended on them to see—contacts had never been an option.

Setting them down for now, I decided to move on. I felt like there was still so much to explore…

I then began to look around with my apparently new perfect vision… I confirmed again…yes, I was in a bedroom, but not one I was familiar with. It was more of a small recovery room with a simple wooden nightstand to my left, decorated with a tiny vase and an even tinier sunflower inside of it.

I blinked in its direction with even more perplexity on my face.

Something wasn't right here…

I had to convince myself I _was_ dead and this was in truth what awaited us after we died. It was unusual, but…_okay_…?

To settle on my own theory, I stood from my bed in one swift movement. Looking down to see I could properly balance on foot, I smiled widely and nodded to myself. _I'm dead. _

I even wore a change of clothing, a white cotton sundress with thick shoulder straps that lit brightly under the sunshine. This had also been something I hadn't experienced in months… I've constantly been fashioning hospital gowns for so long I nearly forgot I could pull off anything else—god, this was a nice change of routine.

I took another few eager steps, my face beaming more and more each time. I felt like myself again and yet different, too. It was hard to explain, let alone grasp at the moment. Right now, I was just more occupied with the idea of me being able to stand and walk again.

I had never been happier in my life!

Now that I had gotten acquainted with my body once again, I found myself curious about outside… I mean, it sounded like I was in New York again—waking up to the sound of another hectic Monday morning—as though nothing had changed at all. What could really be out there?

As I slowly came to the window, I was left stunned by what I was seeing. The bustling streets filled with traffic lines of coloured ants moving in unison never failing…

I was, in fact, _still_ in New York.

Since the moment I woke up, I'd been trying so hard to pretend I was dead and that was it—no questions, no need to make things more complicated—but now I was starting to actually question it. Being presented with all these reasons to, it was hard to ignore it any longer…

"I see you're awake… Welcome back." A familiar voice.

I spun almost too quickly.

The door had been opened and there stood under its frame, Agent Coulson. I never thought I would see his face again. I wasn't supposed to!

He'd been holding a tray of food (delicious food, if I may add), a plate with cooked steak and hot fries on the side, as well as a small serving of salad. The rumbling of my stomach told me just how hungry I was.

"…I…" I could only stand there with wide eyes, left absolutely speechless by what was going on. "…Coulson…did you die, too…?"

A chuckle emitted from the man as he came to the nightstand and set the tray down. "Not again… But _you_ did."

_Again_? I opted to as come back to that later, when I was a little less dizzy by all this confusion… Clearing my throat I asked, "What's going on? Where am I? Didn't I die!?"

Adjusting his suit a little, the agent sat down on the edge of the bed and stared me in the eyes. "You're in a recovery room in New York. The procedure didn't go as we had planned it would, which I'm sure you can figure out by now…"

I stayed where I was, trembling. I had to reach back and hold onto the window sill for support, feeling as though I were going to fall over. I was finding it hard to actually believe any of this—I'd been set on it for months, this was going to be where I died. How it ended.

Swallowing, I asked quietly, "…What…happened…?"

"The Tesseract," he began, "It reacted much differently than we had anticipated… Initially the power inside of you was supposed to transfer into the incomplete cube like the other pieces had, in result draining you of all your energy and killing you…"

I frowned, "…I was never going to survive, was I…?"

Coulson shook his head _no_ and continued, "…But instead, the Tesseract had absorbed inside of you. We still aren't sure what happened…"

For a second, I had forgotten how to breathe.

"To answer your question," he stood up. "You had died on the table, only for a few minutes, and returned to us. You're a fighter," he smiled.

I had to sit down. Looking down at my hands, they weren't pale and deadly thin anymore… They were a healthy tone again. _Warm_.

I suddenly pushed myself back up. "Is…there a mirror around?" I asked nervously. It made me want to see my appearance now…

At first, the agent seemed surprised by my unexpected request but eventually nodded in response, "Sure, just a moment." He'd gone to retrieve it, leaving me alone to reflect on everything that had just been revealed… Honestly, this wasn't something that I could understand in mere minutes—I needed at least…_10 years_? Probably more…

So, I did go through with the procedure…but instead of the Tesseract becoming whole with my sacrifice, it entered _inside_ of me?

When Coulson returned with a full-sized mirror, my eyes widen slightly. I hadn't been expecting him to bring an entire one…just a little pocket one! I didn't think I was mentally prepared to take in my _entire_ appearance in one glance. I was already pretty overwhelmed by everything else…

Once Coulson set it against the wall, he took a few steps back and stared at me with a quick nod. I smiled anxiously at him, "…Oh boy…"

I had to calm my breathing.

As I mustered the courage to wander over to the mirror, I could feel the acceleration of my heart returning. I was still, and forever will be, in disbelief that I had been given a second chance at life—if this is what _this_ was…

What could have possibly made me special enough to have something as desired as the Tesseract want to live inside of _me_? Of all people…

When I came face-to-face with my reflection, I was met with the sight of a beautiful woman, one who stood a few inches taller than before. I hadn't recognized her at first until my hand came to touch the mirror's surface, the woman mimicking my actions.

"…Is this real?" I asked aloud. "…I can't remember the last time… I…" Well, the last time I looked more appealing. Instead of a thin, colorless, and lifeless form miserably sitting in a wheelchair while covered from head to toe in warm article of clothing, _this_ woman was glowing and full of life.

I blinked my dark-colored eyes; my long and thick eyelashes framed around them and filling my face more—pink lips and cheeks lifting in delight. I was not used to seeing myself without glasses or my hair lazily pulled back into a tight bun… It made me regret not pulling off this much more feminine and flattering look sooner. Instead of dull and dry hair hanging off of my scalp, my long black locks had more volume, softness, and shine to them.

"…Did…the Tesseract do this to me?" I turned to Coulson with wide eyes. "I…feel and look pretty great…"

"The Tesseract has undoubtedly given you more energy and your health back," answered the agent. "Miss. Potts offered you some spare clothing… I can see she's taken a bit of…_advantage_…" He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Glancing back at my reflection, I leaned in closer and got a better look at my painted face. Oh, it was make-up. I'd never been a fan of make-up, I wondered why now… I suppose I thought that no matter how hard I tried to beautify myself, it wouldn't make much of a difference. Not having a motherly figure—or any sort of femininity—in my life, I was uncomfortable with doing my own make-up, too.

"…Guess I'll have to thank Pepper when I see her…" I mumbled to myself. Speaking of which, I thought about the Avengers, and the need to see them building up…

"Once you've eaten, we'll have you taken back to headquarters." Coulson said.

"Oh," I'd nearly forgotten how famished I'd been and wasted no time graciously digging into my meal; all at once, incredibly excited about seeing the others again. I didn't think they had any reason to feel guilty about me anymore—I was absolutely fine now!

When Steve Rogers then casually popped into my thoughts, I felt blood flood my cheeks. Now that I hadn't resembled a dried up prune, I felt a bit more confident again, like I once was while working at the café months ago…

It seemed more like years ago than just months.

* * *

I'd never felt more enthusiastic about walking inside of a building like I had at this very moment—feeling rather privileged to have been able to step outside during the hours of daylight again. And hopefully…_for good_.

It was a _perfect_ day—it couldn't have been more _perfectly_ timed. Couldn't you tell I was in a superb mood?

A few S.H.I.E.L.D jeeps followed behind us as Coulson drove us through the city and back to head office. I hadn't been allowed out of their sights now, but I wasn't going to complain about anything ever again! Still trying to process everything, I'd been left in too much of a blissful spell to be upset about anything…

Striding at Coulson's side, we made our way into one of the main meeting rooms. I could feel every agents' eyes on me as we passed by, knowing they were fully aware of my unique situation regarding the cosmic cube. I think they were more concerned about it than I was.

Either way, life was just not something I would take for granted again!

Eventually nerves got the best of me—I guess more so, excitement. My heart thudded audibly in my ears as Coulson reached out to open the door, Director Fury and Agent Hill being one of the first I caught glimpse of. Their brows lifted in astonishment at my returning health, and I could only sheepishly smile in response.

Soon enough, my eyes came in contact with Dr. Banner leaning against the table, his eyes just as wide at my recovered appearance. My smile grew, but the one person who managed to catch the breath in my throat and made this all entirely realistic had made his way in front of me.

_Steve…_

I took a staggered step back, "…Hi…!"

Steve was as painfully gorgeous as ever—those intense icy blue eyes of his just as I last remembered them being… They held more of an awe and bewildered look to them as they studied me, trying to put logic to all of this.

His lips tightened into a thin line as his brows came together, "…This is from the Tesseract?" he asked anyone willing to answer. I could hear more disbelief in his voice than I could see on his face.

Our eyes briefly and unexpectedly locked until I broke the moment by averting my eyes elsewhere when I felt myself blushing in response. It was uncharacteristic of me to get so chocked up in front of any attractive person—I was a waitress after all.

Or _was_.

"We've had our team look further into the situation for the past few days," began explaining Fury.

"Wait, I've been asleep for days?" I was shocked. It felt like I slept for only a night.

"Five days," mumbled Steve, before returning his attention onto the director. "Continue, Director."

"Five days, seven hours, and twenty-three minutes." He added before explaining further, "With the assistance of Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark, we've learned the Tesseract's cube had actually been working as…more of a host, if you will, to the energy within it this entire time."

I hadn't been surrounded with the cube long enough to react as Steve had, knowing he'd dealt with it firsthand 70 years ago and then in Manhattan during the attack. Judging by the speechless look gracing his handsome face, I knew this was pretty big revelation.

When Fury's dark and narrowed eyes fixed themselves onto me, I stiffened in fear. "Because it was shattered, I'm going to safely assume it had found a new host within Miss. Hayes that night she so senselessly decided to come in contact with the fragment." I cringed at the jab and guilt instantly washed over me.

"…I'm sorry…" I mumbled, abashedly lowering my gaze.

"Now it's up to you what you intend to do about this."

I briefly looked up at Director Fury before my eyes moved onto the others and settled onto Steve. He seemed to give me an encouraging nod, knowing I had something to say.

"Well… I want to…be more useful…" I answered meekly—almost uncertain. Being a part of this meant I'd be exposed to more violence. "…I…I don't know… I just feel so responsible and am willing to give this organization my services any way I can…" I sounded like a solider.

"Actions bring about consequences," reminded the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D, "and those consequences usually come with a sacrifice."

"I was willing to give my own life for this cause… How much worst can a girl sacrifice something?"

Agent Hill spoke out, obviously filling me in on my own obliviousness, "You'll no longer be able to keep in contact with anyone outside of S.H.I.L.E.D. Meaning any relatives and friends are prohibited from communicating with you."

And here I thought _nothing_ could ruin my mood.

"B-but—my uncle! I can't not talk to him ever again!" I argued. "Please!" I was now loud enough for the entire building to hear, but I didn't care. Right now I was afraid of losing my Uncle…_again_! Panic struck me and I began to tremble.

"I don't think locking her up will make this situation any better…" Steve finally joined, "She deserves her freedom, just like you've given the rest of us. Despite what you think, we could have handled the Tesseract better and avoided this entire mess…"

"And what? Keep the Tesseract from the _God_ who wanted it?" Fury's brows rose.

"That's not what I'm saying, but you shouldn't have ever taken it out of the ocean in the first place!" Steve frowned. "We were lucky Thor took it back at the time… Here on earth, it's _still_ our responsibility."

I looked around, wishing Thor was around. I had a feeling he'd be able to handle the situation better with his own say…

Even Tony wasn't around to throw in a clever remark or two.

"I think monitoring her at least… I can continue giving her a daily checkup routine." Dr. Banner proposed, trying to calm them down.

I was kind of amazed that he out of everyone would suggest that considering his own situation. I knew he meant well though… I just didn't appreciate being treated like a potential threat anymore. I must have been under the illusion we were past that.

"Until we've learned more about what we can expect, she'll be kept under our watch."

It wasn't a statement as it was a _demand_.


	11. Irresistible S O L I D E R

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Two chapters in one day! I think this one has to be my favorite so far. It's simple and yet adorable... And we're finally getting somewhere! Haha.

Please review as I need the motivation to keep this story alive! :P

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _TEN_:**

_"Irresistible Solider"_

* * *

The idea of resembling anything close to a superhuman didn't settle well with me at all—I could barely stomach blood or any kind of violence, how was I supposed to last in some encounter, if any at all? Of course I liked the idea of being remembered as a hero, but for the sacrifice…not the muscles. Not only that, but I hadn't the training or any kind of martial arts to my background. A newborn baby had a better chance at lasting in a fight against me.

Fury was pretty set on keeping me under their watch until we had a better idea of what the effects the Tesseract would have on my body would be, aside from rejuvenation and energy. I felt a lot of that excited energy when Steve offered to take me to the gym. I was actually eager.

Ask me that months ago and I would have whined and crawled back into bed.

They trusted the Captain to keep an eye on me as there hadn't been a problem when we left the building without Coulson holding my hand. It was the closest thing to freedom I was going to get for a few weeks, I knew that much…

When we arrived at the private gym, Steve felt the need to give me a small tour. I certainly welcomed it, knowing I would wind up here often to train or even let out my stress as the Captain admitted to doing himself. Everyone had that one thing to relax them…mine just happened to be taking a long bubble bath after a bad day at work.

The gymnasium's building carried a rubber scent to it from the aging tires hanging along the faded creamy walls of the narrow corridor. They held some kind of history to them from the previous owners; Steve liked the old-fashioned interior and atmosphere to it so decided not to touch a thing when he bought it. It was also a one level building, making navigating through it easier than I originally thought.

Just outside the large swinging doors (also a faded cream) that lead into the training area were the changing rooms. The women's on the left and the men's to the right.

Steve looked to me, holding his gym bag over one of his broad shoulders. "Feel free to change… I'll meet you in there," he gestured to the doors.

"Wait," Before the Avenger could leave to get himself changed, I quickly reached a hand out to stop him from taking another step.

He came to a halt and looked over his shoulder at me, "What's wrong?" Even under a different, weaker, kind of lighting, Steve managed to look perfectly perfect…not a flaw in sight. It was actually frustrating sometimes—it always left my heart sprinting and a burning sensation on my cheeks and ears.

I cleared my throat and composed myself. I then smiled sheepishly, "…Thank you—I mean for _everything_…"

At his quick little smirk, I was sure my knees had gone weak and any feeling in my body had been enveloped by numbness. "I'm glad to see you're alright… I promise from here on out I'm going to try and make things right."

"Steve." I spoke softly, but firm enough to know I was being serious. Finally removing my smaller hand from his shoulder, I continued, "…You have _nothing_ to make right. Please…don't think you owe me or anyone anything for this… I was the one who came in contact with the Tesseract in the first place, remember? Director Fury made it clear…"

"He was wrong." His teeth gritted in his mouth as his eyes wandered onto the floor.

I smiled. "Well…regardless of who was right and wrong, I'm asking you to stop feeling sorry for me. I'm alive and have been given a second chance at making things right… Besides, this was _my_ decision."

Steve wasn't happy about me contributing to S.H.I.E.L.D. If he had it his way, I'd be back to living my ordinary civilian life and far from any kind of danger, but I didn't have much of a choice… I technically had something that wasn't even mine—not knowing how to use it, too. It was as though I'd lost my body for someone else's.

"Yeah, that's true…" He sighed. I could tell from his uneasy expression that it was going to take more than a few words to convince him otherwise. "Fury's not going to keep you like a caged bird though."

I laughed a little. "I'm more of a parrot anyways." I joked, hoping it would lighten up the mood.

A faint grin reached his soft lips and I melted.

We eventually got down to business, me wasting no time in changing into what I had that would be considered comfortable enough to sweat and move in. I kept it light and simple: a grey t-shirt and black yoga pants. I pulled my long hair into a ponytail with a huff. I wasn't entirely fond of physical exercise, but who really was?

The last time I unwillingly exercised was while running for my train…

Steve could tell, too, by how stressed I'd now become. Suddenly, I wasn't so enthusiastic anymore. God no.

"We'll start off with the basics," said the Super Solider as he finished securing my hands in thin boxing bands. The cotton material felt good against my skin, thankfully.

We were in the center of the room, to my left was a small boxing arena, beside that the heavy equipment for lifting, and ahead of me was a white punching bag. The leather skin on it was worn and peeling from overuse, but suitable enough to be used for my training session.

Flexing my fingers a little, I finally got them into a position I thought was accurately correct until I felt Steve come and adjust my fists. I had both thumbs tucked under my clenched fingers rather than over them. "You'll risk straining your thumb that way," he explained, taking a step back. "…There. You'll now want to raise your arms just about—" positioning my arms also, "—perfect."

I focused on the punching bag, hanging firmly by the chain above it. A part of me wanted to learn this so I could become less of a burden to the others, but mostly to impress Captain America, who definitely lived up to the legend.

"Keep your eyes focused on the center of the bag—you want to make a target for yourself and keep aiming for that spot."

I nodded and took the first swing, the bag being sent back much farther than it was supposed to go. I flinched, looking at Steve with wide eyes as he went to hold the now swinging bag in place again. "D-did you see that…!?" I exclaimed. "I didn't think I was _that_ strong!"

Maybe I should have worked out more.

Steve could only blink in shock before slowly nodding his head. "I wonder if this is the Tesseract's doing, too…" he mused, a serious look on his face. "We'll try and be careful for now…"

Careful.

I had been sure I took a light swing, too. I'd have to go even slower.

I took a successfully cautious swing at the bag before doing a few more until I got the hang of it. The solider instructed me to keep at that same tempo while he got his own punching bag set up along mine. I had taken a few quick glances at him as he began punching, until I'd been unable to pull my eyes away from his impeccably masculine form.

I shamelessly pretended to need a water break while closely observing the way the slick muscles on his arms glistened and flexed at each swift and firm movement he made. I was sure my mouth was left hung open, staring at the man like some brainless zombie—maybe even a bit of drool seeping out.

And for a second, I'd forgotten where he and I were or what we were doing.

When his punching ceased, I snapped out of it fast enough to seem more attentive as he spoke breathlessly, "Tired…?"

"O-oh, no…! Just thirsty!" I laughed nervously, setting my water bottle back down and returning to my punching bag. I then recommenced my training.

* * *

This was supposed to be a strict month, being forced to train excessively, as well as learning more about my 'abilities'… I didn't feel I deserved the title of superhuman or whatever they wanted to refer it as. I was sure The Avengers I worked with deserved it more. It was _supposed_ to be a long and tiring month, but it wasn't. Not entirely.

Steve had trained me, but when it wasn't him, Natasha Romanoff had been assigned to. I wasn't going to lie…this woman intimidated the hell out of me. She was another beauty, but deadly—a thorny rose among roses. A Russian doll with a kick.

As our private sessions progressed, I started looking up to her more and more.

Obviously I could never pull off the agile and breathtaking fighting style she had on her, but she was an incredible instructor when it came to basic martial arts and self-defence. I learned a lot from her and even got the chance to practice what moves I did grasp on Clint Barton, who was voluntarily there to assist us when he could.

We eventually learned that I _did _in fact obtain more than just my health back, but this was actually from the exposure of Gamma Radiation and not so much the Tesseract itself. My senses were heightened, something that's taking me time to get used to… As well as super human durability and speed. We'd only come across this recently, but I had been practicing more with it and trying to make it more of an instinctive thing. The serum Steve had been injected with years ago had done the same to him, so I was able to look to him for guidance.

I was, however, presented with the chance to enhance my bond with cosmic cube if I had wanted to—just one simple formula. It was a conversation between Director Fury and me, one I was not allowed to discuss with the others…

I declined, having rather stuck with what I was given already. I didn't want attention… I just wanted to give my services. That was it.

A few days later, I was shown a tracking bracelet from Coulson that would inform them of my location at all times. I felt like a dog, but rather than having one of them frequently babysit me I agreed to it. With this step to liberation, I was permitted to return living at the tower with Tony, Pepper, and Dr. Banner—oh, and sophisticated JARVIS.

Pepper had given me a hug that lasted long enough to have me crying at the warm gesture. I had even gotten the opportunity to thank her earnestly for the clothing and make-up, but overall looking after me while I'd been sleeping. Her response was that she wanted me looking my best for my special day—the day I was _reborn_. I never thought of it like that, but in a way she wasn't wrong…

I certainly lead a new life now…

Tonight I was able to relax and just not have a care in the world… It was a nice change in pace, and one I welcomed with opened arms.

Tony and Pepper had gone out to dinner and Dr. Banner kept himself occupied in the laboratory. I tend not to bother him while he was at work, so I entertained myself with television or food. I was mildly interested in what was on, more focused with my thoughts as they took me away… Like, what did the others do on their spare time? I knew right now that Natasha and Clint were sent off on a mission and Thor had usually been kept busy with his obligations at Asgard, but what about when they weren't working…?

Hmm…

That only left Steve. Passionate, determined, courageous, kind-hearted Steve. I overheard Natasha saying Steve needed to go out more, like on dates. I was more amazed to find out he hadn't been on any. Ever. This man was wasting himself!

In that moment I had decided to see if he wanted some company.

It was a shame Steve refused to own a phone, contacting him would be a lot easier. Instead, I took the subway over to his place. The night was nippy, my nose, cheeks, and ears blushing from the drop in temperature. It was around that time of the year, so I had dressed myself warmly and tucked my gloved fingers inside the pocket of my red trench coat to keep them from freezing off. I was extra careful about being spotted by people who may recognize me, but I was sure they wouldn't from this distance and in the darkness. Also my newly adopted love for fashion and make-up kind of helped.

Thank you, Pepper Potts.

Arriving at the front steps of Steve's building, I took in a deep breath and knocked. After a few more knocks, I was disappointed when I hadn't earned an answer. I had been hoping he was in, not sure where else to look aside from the gym or café—oh, right.

I decided to try the gym first, the café I once worked at being a bit more risky.

The walk there wasn't as long as the trip to his place was. When I noticed a single room lit from the window of the gymnasium, I smiled to myself.

I should have figured to check here first.

Stepping into the building, I took a moment to stand by the entrance heater until I could feel my toes again. I then went into the hallway and straight to the set of doors leading me into the gym where Steve was, lifting weights.

Before I could greet him, the Super Solider already heard me from a mile away and pushed himself up. He caught his breath, "…Miss. Hayes, what are you doing here? You're not due for training until Monday."

He dabbed a small white towel across his sweaty forehead before tossing it aside and taking a swig of water.

I smiled. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by…" I lied, suddenly embarrassed about telling him the truth. I then took a seat at the bench press next to him, removing my gloves. "It's a little late to be working out, isn't it?"

Steve let out a soft chuckle, laying back down for another round. "Can't afford not keep up with my routines, ma'am… Not when we're under the Chitauri's radar."

Wow, he was even a solider off duty.

"You're pretty strong as it is," I reminded. "Why not give yourself a break…? We can go out to grab a bite to eat?"

Silence…

Steve soon sat up once placing the weight back in place, taking a moment to regain his breath. Soon enough, he sent me another one of his appealing smiles, laced with a bit of exhaustion from the workout. I could see in his eyes that I'd won him over.

"Ever tried Shawarma?"

* * *

I took a bite into the warm pita bread that wrapped around the deliciously beefy goodies inside of it.

The privately owned Shawarma restaurant sat just around the corner of Stark Tower, so I didn't need to worry about the distance when returning home.

After swallowing my food, I took a sip of my water and started conversation, "What made you decide Shawarma…?" I asked with a laugh.

"You can thank Stark for that," he answered after having taken his own bite and swallowing it down. "He suggested we eat here right after the battle in New York."

My eyes widen in disbelief, "Really…? That's so random." Then again…this was Tony.

I looked around casually, seeing he and I were the only customers left. The short, aging Arabic woman working the counter came out to clean the windows of her display while her husband washed the dishes. Even though they were doing laborious work into the late hours, they seemed content. It was sweet.

Hearing a rustling sound coming from across me, I looked over to see Steve had already finished his meal and was now rolling his napkin into a ball. He soon began finishing off his drink. Meanwhile, I was only halfway into my Shawarma.

"How have your sessions been going with Natasha?" he suddenly asked, just when my mouth was full of food.

He apologized with a laugh, causing me to embarrass as I chewed and swallowed as quick as I could. I answered with a blush, "…Ah, it's going well…! Clint has been a great help, too. I got to flip him over my back."

I was actually proud of it.

"You could always ask Stark to help you in your next session…" A clever smirk was seen on his young face, "I'd be more than happy to come and watch."

I could only shake my head with a grin, "You're so mean."

I knew it was all friendly bantering. Those two were probably closest to each other than they were to the others—though Tony and Dr. Banner bonded well together.

After our late night dinner, Steve offered to give me a ride back to Stark Tower on his bike. I assured him the walk was fine on my own and that he didn't have to, but he managed to persuade me anyways. I hadn't been sure what did it, his charm or persistence.

He came inside, escorting me to the main floor. As we stepped in, I was surprised to see Coulson standing there with Tony and Dr. Banner looking anxious after having received some news from the man.

I nervously looked over to Coulson, "…Hey…is everything alright?"

Nothing was ever alright if Coulson paid you a visit.

The agent got to explaining, "Our satellites picked up footage of an incoming invasion—this time full force—and headed in our direction." I could hear a bit of urgency in his usually calm voice.

It was bad.

"Oh God. Are you serious!?" I felt my tiny frame shivering with fear, my legs nearly buckling under me. I could feel my heart racing in terror now. Nothing could have prepare me for this kind of news!

Tony hurriedly made his way to the entrance, "Suit up, 'Cap."

"Right!"

I turned my head to see Steve about to take his leave to get his suit and shield. "Steve…!" I called out, following him out the room to see him looking back at me.

Seeing how worried I was, he smiled in response. The Captain looked confident, sure, but it didn't comfort me. "I've done this once or twice. I'll be fine… You're not ready to take on anyone, so keep yourself safe, alright?"

I frowned despite his eyes burning in resolute. "There's probably millions of them and only what, five of you?!"

Steve set a firm hand on my shoulder, "We're The Avengers, remember?"

I'd been caught off-guard by the breathtaking smirk he flashed me, helplessly watching as he took off in a run and had been gone from my sights in seconds.


	12. A Captain's B A T T L E

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Hello my lovely readers!

I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty excited about Thor's new movie coming out in about a week, looks pretty great! :)

Anyways, this chapter will be a tad different as I wanted to give you lovely readers a bit of action and to also challenge myself a little. This story will be in Steve's P.O.V—Yes, I was excited about typing this chapter out, too—and really hope to do him justice! Haha.

After this chapter, that's when everything will start leading into the main plot of my story. :D ENTER THE DRAMA! LOVE, HEARTBREAK...LOVE TRIANGLES? Ooooh.

Again, thank you for the continued support! Each review and favorite/follow I receive always motivates me more and more to get on my computer and type out another (hopefully intriguing) chapter!

**Special thanks to my AMAZING reviewers!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _E__LEVEN_:**

_"A Captain's Battle"_

* * *

_**[Steve Roger's P.O.V]**_

I listened to the ominous sound of the Chitauri's footsteps clomping across the parking lot pavement as they cautiously drew closer towards the black jeep I'd kept myself hidden behind of. I trained my breathing to be as steady as it could, the frigid air burning my throat; the hold on my Vibranium shield firm as the possibility for another disaster fueling my resolve to stop it from happening.

The technologically advanced extra-terrestrials wasted no time with their arrival, now swarming a safe distance from outside headquarters, where they were convinced the Tesseract was being kept.

"What's the plan, 'Cap?" Tony communicated through my earpiece. Since Natasha and Clint were absent on an assignment, Thor too far a distance to contact, and Dr. Banner left to look after Miss. Hayes in case they managed to locate her, that only left the two of us.

Probably not the best situation…

"We have to fend them off—there isn't much else we can do right now." I answered quietly, just then catching glimpse of a Chitauri stalking past the car.

I lunged forward, a satisfying crack heard from its body at the impact of my shield.

"You handle the skies, leave the ground to me!"

"Right." I could tell that Tony was thinking exactly what I was… What the hell did we get ourselves into?

Me striking one of their own immediately caught the attention of the others and I soon found myself surrounded by them, meanwhile Tony already had a trail of them chasing after him on their hovering, foreign motors. Although there wasn't nearly as much as there had been in New York, it was still an overwhelming number against _two_.

I did fairly well fighting them off, one-by-one, but it was only a matter of time before my body began to feel the effects of exertion. I'd lasted far longer than the average man, but even my enhanced body wasn't enough to withstand an ambush of aliens. Not alone.

"You still alive, _'Capsicule_?"

I smirked tiredly at the billionaire's question, "Still kickin'…" I sent another fist into the Chitauri closest to me.

It did comfort me to see they hadn't gone off on another crazed thirst for dominance all over New York, but for how much longer? I imagined the second they got hold of the Tesseract, that was the next thing on their To-Do list. Round 2—a round they'd come out as victorious in this time.

I wasn't about to let that happen…not _this_ time, not when we'd lost so much already.

A sudden shot at me left my abdomen burning, knocking me to the ground and right out of my thoughts. I gasped out breathlessly, holding my trembling hand to the tender spot in pain. Having witnessed it from above, Tony landed in front of me and sent a few blasts of his own at the creatures. It gave me enough time to get back on my two feet.

The short air got caught in my throat. "W-we…need to figure out…where their other control centre is…! That's what's keepin' them alive, isn't it…?" I wiped sweat off my chin, my body emitting warmth that prevented the cold night from getting to me.

"Yeah," answered Tony in a tight voice, back still turned to me as he shot at a few more Chitauri. I knew he was just as exhausted. The truth, we saw it…there was no way we were going to survive this when we were pretty outnumbered.

From our last encounter, we learned a lot about the extra-terrestrials. Tony had redirected the nuclear missile toward their base, which seemed to have had held the core to all of their power and, most importantly, life.

Surely it was the same story this time around?

My only question was… Where the hell could we expect to find their second—and hopefully final—base? And how could we even get to it? Destroy it? We certainly didn't have another bomb on us.

The sound of thunder clapping in the distance eventually caught my attention. Iron Man commented without missing a beat, "About time, Point-Break…was getting a little worried we'd be left with all the fun."

I was temporarily blinded by a bright flash of lightening when it hit the ground between us and the creatures, roasting most of them in the process. It was one hell of a way to make an entry, but I was more relieved and focused on the fact we now had a bit of backup on our side.

Once the intense glare had died down and I was able to regain proper vision, Thor was seen standing there under a patch of burnt concrete. He effortlessly held up his mighty hammer in one hand while the other hung at his side.

When the three of us acknowledged each other, Thor sent us a smile. "I heard you could use a bit of aid, my friends…"

"Couldn't have made a better entrance myself." I returned the smile, a bit of weight lifted off my tense shoulders.

"Gentlemen," Tony spoke, "shall we?"

With a nod, I looked to Thor. "If we can distract them from getting anywhere near S.H.I.E.L.D's headquarters and most importantly, keeping them away from the city—"

"We've got it, 'Cap. Just leave the air to me, Point-Break can do his thunder-trick, and you just work the ground."

Tony took off once more, leaving the Asgardian God and myself to handle them on foot.

* * *

It felt like hours of an endless battle, each one of us left panting heavily and weary where we stood… I found I constantly needed something to keep myself supported and balanced on, a strained pain coursing throughout my shaking body. Every bone and muscle ached, but I kept pushing past it until I knew I couldn't any longer.

By now our feet were covered in bodies of dead aliens while many more bordered around us.

Halfway through our battle, Natasha and Clint arrived on an aircraft having given us a bit more of an advantage until the Chitauri shot them down and both assassins were left to fight alongside Thor and I on the ground.

Despite him being on his own, Tony was doing well.

The master behind the puppet strings eventually decided to show himself, his appearance far more repulsive than the Chitauri's. When he revealed himself to be known as The Other, we knew we'd been dealing with the same manipulating alien who'd been the cause of Loki's attempted reign. He snarled and demanded the Tesseract, impatience thick in his tone.

The first thing I took note of was the staff he carried in his left hand as it protruded towards us—it was very similar to Loki's, yet far more daunting. I knew we couldn't approach him without being extremely guarded.

I brought my index and middle finger to the communicator in my ear. "Tony, see if you can figure out what that staff is capable of…"

"On it."

At least with The Other's presence, the Chitauri stood behind him at his authority but eagerly awaiting the mandate to finish us off. We were practically the dinner at a Thanksgiving gathering. In the time we exchanged threats and promises, Tony managed to run a scan on the staff.

"Careful guys," warned Tony. "I've got traces of the Tesseract coming off the stick."

I was shocked to learn this and instantly turned my attention onto Thor who didn't seem all that surprised. As though reading my mind, the god explained, "Our previous encounter must have left traces of it on his staff… Unfortunately, my hammer no longer preserves any of its powers."

I was left slightly disgruntled at the situation, knowing very well this was an even bigger drawback for us. That was until Tony spoke again, "Hold on, JARVIS also found a high range of energy coming from the staff, too—"

"Yeah, the _Tesseract_," Clint reminded.

"Settle down, Legolas. I'm talking about another source of power." The genius began explaining in a more intellectual dialogue while using scientific terms that Banner would no doubt be able to comprehend and translate for us—_if_ he'd been here.

"Tony, _English_." I growled.

A sigh was heard from him. "I'm _saying_ that this amount of energy is typically used to supply masses of power into larger vessels—it's the same level of energy I've been picking up from the Chitauri. This stick of death, or whatever, it is being _used_ as some form of life source to these aliens and I'm willing to bet that's the key to winning this war! Come on, 'Cap, keeping up?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." I frowned briefly, looking to the others. "The staff, if we destroy it that'll kill them!"

I hadn't enough time to take a moment and thank my lucky starts that this time it wasn't a large base in space that we needed to destroy, but just a golden staff. One in our reach.

The Other hissed, erecting his weapon again. Suddenly, a blue burst of energy shot at us, causing me to instinctively jump out of the way and scatter behind a flipped car while the others kept themselves covered behind the wreckage left from our battle. What had once been a massive, personnel parking lot with smooth pavement flooring was now just a field of rubble and demolished cars.

As I peeked over the car a little, I knew I had to better the proximity between myself and that staff. Anyone of us.

Looking over to my right, I saw Natasha hurriedly crawl over to me before resting her back to the side of the vehicle and reloading her pistol. "This is…_fun_." she remarked sarcastically.

"Loads." I added.

After a moment of silence, Natasha pointed out the obvious look of contemplation tensing my face, "You look like you have a plan?"

"…Kind of. It's the best I can come up with right now." I gestured over to The Other with my head, "Feel like playing the hero again?"

"Why Captain, when don't I ever?"

I smirked, shifting onto my feet, but still keeping myself crouched and out of sight. The army of aliens were soon commanded to shoot in our direction aimlessly, sending beams of energy darting all over the place.

I tried getting back into contact with Iron Man's suit, "You there, Stark?"

"Y-yeah, you got something?"

"Think you and Thor can keep them distracted?" I asked over the sound of crossfire. "Barton, I'll need you to take out the ones defending The Other."

"Can I keep them distracted?" Tony scoffed. I knew that was a definite yes.

Hawkeye answered shortly after, "Sure thing,"

I peered over to Natasha again. "You and I again—we're going to take out the big guy."

With a click of her gun, a nod came from the assassin. "Let's do this then." Her large emerald eyes held that confident and determined look I needed to see in my team.

At the initiation of our idea, I waited until Tony and Thor got the attention of most of the Chitauri, Clint talentedly taking out each creature that surrounded The Other with his arrows and that left me and Natasha to do our part.

"Go!" Running out from behind the car, I held my shield out in front of my body protectively while sprinting in The Other's direction, my assassin companion right behind me. The frantic shots fired by his staff had been absorbed by my shield, and before the alien could recognize the plan in attack, Natasha slid between my legs with agility and kicked the staff from its owners grasp.

We watched as the powerful rod went flipping a great distance from us. Before The Other could actually retaliate, I sent a hard kick into his stomach and urged Natasha to get the staff.

Thor hadn't been kidding when he warned us that The Other was alarmingly fast—I had abruptly found myself in a hold by the throat, gasping for air. My feet were gradually lifted from the ground, left to dangle desperately.

I could feel myself being pulled closer to the creature, its face right up to mine as it spoke darkly, "I'll show you that our force is not a force to challenge, earthling. You disgusting, weak humans have much to learn still… I will show you the _meaning_ of fear…"

I cringed, finding it harder and harder to stay awake—

"'Cap!" With a few tiny missiles, Tony managed to catch The Other off-guard and burn his back with explosions strong enough to release me of my hold and leave the creature temporarily dazed. It seemed to me that he had underestimated us, too.

"Natasha!" I called over to her, seeing her already making way over to us with the staff.

Tony had hovered off to aid Thor and Clint while we dealt with the finishing blow, more than certain we could handle it on our own. With my back turned to The Other, Natasha had been the only one to see him getting back up with every intention of revenge.

"Jesus—Captain, get down!" At her warning, I immediately dropped to the ground and watched with broaden eyes as she shot at The Other, vaporizing the alien into _nothing_.

I slowly sat up, feeling my heart still pounding apprehensively inside of my chest. Before I had the chance to rub some sweat off my face, Natasha snapped me out of it. "We still have a job to do, Captain!"

That was enough to get me off the cold ground and gripping onto my shield with both hands. I send the others a fleeting glance, all still engaged in combat.

"Anytime now, 'Cap!" I heard Tony insist.

With the staff laid on the ground for me, I finally struck it with the edge of my shield. After a few good whacks, the staff finally came apart.

The Chitauri lifelessly dropped to the floor.


	13. E N C H A N T E D

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Decided to post another chapter since I have the time and motivation!

_Just to answer:_ No, Steve wouldn't seem so time-weary since in this chapter he's much more attentive on the battle than his reflective thoughts regarding time. Also, it's been years since. :) The idea was to bring more of that into future chapters since Steve's P.O.V will be a frequent thing. Haha.

And yeah, I thought about Thor being the one to destroy the staff but figured that was kind of predictable. :P

This chapter is a little bit longer, too, guys! Sorry!

**Special thanks to all my reviewers!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _TWELVE_:**

_"Enchanted"_

* * *

_**[Steve Roger's P.O.V]**_

"This is my fault—god, I'm _so_ sorry…!"

No matter how much I tried convincing her otherwise, Valentine continued scolding and blaming herself for the injuries inflicted on all of us from our battle. She worried herself too much. I was beginning to wonder if from now on I should keep my distance every time I got a scratch…for her sake.

The heated building of the infirmary instantly warmed me up after having been exposed to the cold weather of New York for so long. The medical staff welcomed us on our return, Fury showing his gratitude for another triumphant win.

I wasn't in as much of a festive mood as Tony apparently was, offering to buy us all a round of drinks after such a long night. I couldn't believe he wanted to get drunk after something so exhausting—that that had been the first thing to come to mind. Absurd. Then again, the idea wasn't all that appealing to me anyways since I was no longer able to get much of a buzz ever again thanks to the serum.

"Ma'am…it was my duty to protect everyone." I reminded the upset woman, now fidgeting with her fingers. Her dark eyes lowered sheepishly, unable to look me straight in the eyes.

It was just a few scratches and bruising—nothing severe or new when compared to what we were used to.

"Enough sulking, come out with us."

I glanced over to see Natasha standing by the doorway, her hands set atop her hips. She was now changed into more comfortable clothing: jeans, t-shirt, and a creamy leather jacket on top. I didn't think I would get quite accustomed to the wider variety in fashion this century had. It was hard to keep up with it as a man, I could only imagine how much more complex it was for women.

"You're actually going out?" I asked Natasha, the hint of a weary smile tugging the corner of my mouth. I ran my fingers over my short tousled locks.

"Why not?" she shrugged, "We're off duty and it _was_ a long day… What's wrong with a bit of fun?"

Valentine seemed uncertain towards the idea. "…Are you sure you're not too tired?"

"Not at all, could take on a tank."

I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at Natasha's answer. "I think tonight I'm just going to head—"

"You're coming, 'Cap." Tony.

I sighed, pulling my arms through the sleeves of my coat. It didn't seem like they were going to give me the option of deciding myself. I was going whether I wanted to or not.

* * *

The week of peace was short-lived, Fury bringing us to speed on what the situation was now. I was far from impressed. Regardless of how much time she'd spent into her training, it seemed that nothing was going to give the poor girl a break.

The council heard about the _second_ invasion, and fed up, an ultimatum had been thrown on the table for Fury. One he wasn't at all expecting to be presented with.

The news hit us pretty hard, leaving us speechless. Appalled.

"You're not going to lose this organization because of _me_…" Valentine mumbled, her eyes burning in anger. I'd never seen her so mad before, but none of us could blame her. I'd taken notice that she began growing more comfortable with expressing herself freely lately, the guilt of everything finally passing. Her personality was easily distinguishable soon enough.

When it came for it, she was a fairly determined young woman. Tough even.

"I'm not left with much of a choice, now am I?" Fury responded with a frown. One was livid, the other was stressed. I was still trying to process everything…

They wanted Valentine.

The World Security Council claimed she'd be safer in their care, but we all knew that wasn't entirely true. _Weapons_—that's what came to mind. This poor girl would be used as a substitute for the Tesseract and become their new source for making mass weapons of destruction since Fury failed to fall through with the plan the first time.

It made my blood boil knowing people like that ran an organization like S.H.I.E.L.D. It wasn't right.

The kicker. If Fury refused to comply with their demands, they shut them down.

Valentine wasn't about to let that happen. I'd never seen her as persistent as she was today, arguing with Fury about it. "I can handle myself, alright? Take me to them, whatever you have to do! You're not going to risk having a great organization shut down!"

"They'll make a weapon out of you," Bruce Banner stated, having stood in the corner of the meeting room. "Maybe _weapons_… These are the scums who wanted to use the Tesseract in the first place for that reason. They know we're the ones standing in their way of making that reality happen."

"Yeah, but…" She looked defeated. "I don't want them to pull the plug on you guys…"

"Yeah, well, they're not." The Director didn't seem like he had any intention of backing down. "Can't say I'm surprised they're resorting to another stupid-ass idea."

"What are you suggesting we do?" I finally asked. "I'll help anyway I can…"

"For now I need you to keep an eye on Miss. Hayes until we've further dealt with this." he answered.

I nodded, looking over to her. She gave me that look again—it was that _'I'm sorry you're involved'_ look. I'd recognize it in a heartbeat. I didn't mind it. I usually gave her that same look.

She should have never been here in the first place.

* * *

_**[Valentine Hayes' P.O.V] **_

I was fuming!

I wanted to—to…I don't really know! _Scream_! Scream into something, loud enough that all my frustrations would be carried away with it!

Each fist sent into the punching bag was firm enough to express how angry I was, but soft enough not to send it through the wall. I was beginning to scare myself… I was never a violent or angry person, but how could I contain it any longer?

It's been months since I'd last spoken with my uncle and now I was in this situation with the council. I didn't think I'd be able to forgive myself if I'd ever caused a strain within S.H.I.E.L.D. I was dry on ideas to make this situation better for everyone.

_Nothing_.

After one final punch, I bent forward and brought my hands over my knees while letting out heavy pants. A moment longer of regaining my breath, I went to take a swig of water and plopped myself on the bench. Steve had been kind enough to lend me the gym whenever I felt like getting a bit of training done. I had to shake my head at the fact I now used his tactics of relieving stress, a faint grin stretching my pale lips. I must have adopted other habits from the solider I wasn't aware of.

I could hear someone pulling up from outside the building, the main entrance doors opening and soon enough, the gym's. When I saw Steve making his way over, I couldn't help but smile widely in response to his presence at all. Something about the man brought about a warmth inside of me.

Ok, that was lame.

But for a second, I'd forgotten about my problems…

"You're becoming scarily like me, ma'am."

I laughed a little, moving a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "Guess I should stop hanging around you… You're a terrible influence."

"Maybe." Dropping his gym bag next to my own, Steve started wrapping his hands up. He seemed to have a lot on his mind; his strong eyes were more focused than usual, I could even see a bit of tension hardening his features.

"Come to release a bit of stress?" I asked, but sounded more like I was stating it. I knew that he was. "That's okay, I've been doing the same…"

A small pained smile came from him and I felt my heart break. "You shouldn't have to be in this position…"

"But I am," I was quick to answering. "I am and I'm _ready_. You've fought my battles enough…maybe it's time I fought my own?"

The solider didn't answer right away; instead he began punching into the bag I'd been using earlier. "Yeah, maybe," His voice was strained.

In the awkward silence that took place, I scrutinized the injuries still left on his body from last week's encounter… By now most of the bruising he suffered had faded into his skin, leaving a bit of a yellowish tint there. The cuts were pretty much healed, too.

His face obviously left perfect.

I was more myself around him, less giddy and brainless, more focused and real. From time to time he'd have me needing to catch my breath from just a glance or one of those quick little smirks he does with the corner of his lips. It was adorable and innocent, something only Steve Rogers could pull off.

I couldn't believe I was…well, where I _was_ today.

It felt like yesterday I'd gone for that interview and encountered with the Tesseract's fragment, having fallen down the rabbit hole, then been introduced to Wonderland; S.H.I.E.L.D, and its wonderful creatures…The Avengers.

But instead of returning home, this Alice stayed. Grew stronger mentally, oh yeah, even physically but I was less excited about that.

When my eyes wandered outside, I was met with the sight of white snow as it gracefully fell from heavy grey skies. I smiled widely, getting off the bench and nearing the window. After autumn, winter was my favorite season. Snow just made everything so pure and elegant… I thought the way each snowflake gently fell and covered the landscape in its frozen blanket was mesmerizing in itself, relaxing, absolutely beautiful…

It always calmed me down anyways.

"I love snow…" I finally commented. "Don't you love it?"

Steve didn't turn to me. "…Yeah, I guess…"

_Oh_.

At the time I didn't clue into how insensitive my question had come across as. I had completely forgotten that snow brought about the terrible memories of his past—Bucky's death, losing Peggy when he froze in the Arctic waters…

I swallowed. "Oh, Steve, I'm…"

He gave me a small smile, immediately understanding. "It's alright… I'm glad you got to see snow again."

The meaning behind his words made my heart melt. I was glad, too… I was fortunate. I never thought I would live to see anything past the day I was supposed to die.

I decided to change the topic. "I wonder if Fury will let me see my uncle for the holidays at least…" I couldn't stop the saddened expression from showing itself on my face as I said those words. I was missing him every day, wondering how he was doing. He still thought I was travelling across Europe.

Steve moved over to where I stood, leaning his shoulder against the wall. "Director Fury doesn't seem heartless… I'm sure he will…"

"You really think so?" I met with his stare.

"Of course." he smiled.

I began wondering what Steve did for the holidays… Did he get invited to one of the others' home for dinner maybe? I didn't mind inviting him with me to visit my uncle if he was ever that desperate for company. Shoving the thoughts away, I cleared my throat and took a few steps away from (Steve) the window.

"Well, I should get going." I tried controlling my beating heart by taking deep, slow breaths.

"Did you need a ride?" he offered.

"N-no thank you…!" I gathered my things, nearly tripping over his bag. "I'll be fine!"

How this man managed to have this effect on me… I began wondering more and more, deciding I would start paying extra attention to it from now on.

* * *

"A party?"

"Well, more of a Winter Masquerade Ball."

A _dance_. That meant I had to physically dance, didn't it? Aiee…

Pepper and I were sitting just outside a café further downtown, enjoying each other's company. By now the entire city was covered in snow and festive holiday lights. I knew Christmas was approaching, which meant less time to stall—I needed to just gathering the damn courage and finally ask Fury if I were able to see my uncle.

Imagine that, a grown woman needing permission. _Yeesh_.

The coffee kept us warm, though it wasn't incredibly or unbearably cold today. Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, Pepper mentioned a party the company was hosting. "Yeah, Tony and I decided to host one this year, I wanted to invite you."

I flashed an appreciative smile, somewhere along the lines was a hint of embarrassment. "I appreciate the invitation…but I don't know if that's something I can do right now…"

Pepper raised a brow. "Care to expand?" she asked in a tone that begged for explanation. I kind of wished she hadn't.

"Well…" I averted my gaze from her own, staring at the lid of my coffee. "…Okay, so…promise me you won't laugh…? This is kind of embarrassing…"

"_Promise_."

I stared into her eyes, making sure I could trust her before deciding I could. I answer quietly, "…I can't…dance…"

"What?" she laughed anyways.

"Pepper, you promised…" I whined.

"No, I'm laughing because that's a ridiculous excuse." She leaned over the table, "Everyone says they can't dance and then come day of party, they dance just fine."

"It's not like this is some chick flick," I mumbled. "I seriously_ can't_ dance… I make two left feet sound like a compliment!"

"Well, take lessons then. Come with me and Tony, it's free."

"You and Tony take dance lessons?" I was amused. Tony dancing.

"I make him," she smiled innocently. "He knows better than to argue with me. But anyways, I'd really like it if you came."

I pursed my lips, contemplating on the idea. I guess I _could_… Still thinking it over, I took a sip of my hot drink.

"Bring Steve," she suddenly suggested, causing me to nearly spit out my coffee all over the table.

"_Mm_!?" My face reddened and I had to force swallow my drink, coughing a little in the process when it burnt my throat. I finally let out a pant, "…W-why would you say that…? Oh, Pepper, no…just _no_…"

She wrinkled her freckled nose, pouting cutely at me, "Why not? You spend enough time with him…and he's cute." She winked.

Setting my cup of coffee down, I brought my hand over my mouth, looking away. My cheeks were now an even darker shade of red, as if it couldn't be any more obvious. I groaned, "…Please stop… We're just friends…"

I got no kind of vibe that told me he was interested. He probably had a ton of women begging to take him out that he just didn't have time for. Why would I be any different?

"Well you need a date."

"You're making me go, isn't that enough?"

"No. I'll set you up then."

I stared at her incredulously, "And you know someone willing to go with a complete stranger? Better yet, someone like me?"

"Oh, I do." She adjusted her silver scarf, smiling with those perfectly straight pearly whites greeting me. "He's a university student working with us as part of his Co-op. I think you'll like him."

I squinted my eyes, still skeptical. "…I guess that's alright then…"

I was a little disappointed I didn't go with her first idea now—but instantly reminded Steve would probably reject me anyways. He was usually so occupied with keeping up with his training or so dedicated to S.H.I.E.L.D—even Natasha and Clint weren't that bad. I worried for him.

Not that it bothered me if he came or not. Nope, not at all. I was fine.

Wasn't I?

* * *

I learned a few days later that Clint and Natasha were going to participate, too, but it was to keep an eye on me since I would be in a more public surrounding. I suppose they were like my own personal bodyguards. Two perfectly-made-for-each-other bodyguards.

They, even I, had started convincing ourselves that the council were plotting something in the shadows… Dr. Banner declined, understandably not at all comfortable with being in a crowded space. I knew Thor was back in Asgard again, and didn't expect Steve to come either…

"Oh…you _are_ coming…"

Never mind.

"Yeah, I figured I'd be able to keep a better eye on you that way." Steve explained, not really seeing why this was such a big deal for me.

I forced a smile—the image of Steve looking absolutely dashing in a suit had me nearly fainting on the spot. "…Great."

Just _great_.

We strolled through one of the city parks of Manhattan during the early hours. It was a chilly morning. The area was layered in thicker snow than it'd been last week, but the pathway shovelled enough for us to walk through. I was usually busy with training or having Dr. Banner take me in for another checkup… I needed my fresh air from time to time.

"You didn't strike me as the kind of girl to attend these sorts of things," he admitted with a chuckle.

I pouted childishly, "Don't be like Tony—I am capable of a lot of things—surprising people just happens to be my specialty."

Another laugh emitted from the Avenger. "You're right, my apologies, ma'am."

That was when another thing I'd been meaning to discuss with Steve returned to me. "You know, you can just call me Valentine." As endearing as it was to hear him speak in old-fashioned politeness.

"Right, sorry," he smiled bashfully, "_Valentine_."

The way my name sounded coming out of his mouth had me whimper. I had to nibble on my lip, picking my pace up a little so he couldn't see just how tongue-tied I was suddenly becoming.

Why was this man so utterly and infuriatingly adorable?!

Completely oblivious, Steve caught up to my steps. "If you haven't been asked by anyone already, I'd be more than happy to escort you to the winter gathering…? It's the least I can do after all."

"Really?" I answered without trying to seem too excited, "I'd like that."

I'd completely forgotten I already had a date.


	14. P R E P A R A T I O N S

**_KANO-STAR:_**

Hello my lovely readers!

I have to admit, I suffered from a bit of Writers Block, but it wasn't very long when I logged on to see I was already up _97_ flippin' reviews! I honestly have to take a moment and dedicate a bit of this author's note to the readers who have been constantly reviewing each chapter. Honestly, you are what has been keeping me motivated to writing at all. Thank you sooo much!

Hopefully this chapter will hint a little at what is to be expected (drama) for the story among other things... :) Hehe.

I have it _all_ planned out! I'm pretty excited about having you join me for the ride. ;) I hope you'll enjoy it!

**AGAIN SPECIAL THANKS TO MY AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS! PLEASE REVIEW, READERS! I FEED ON THEM! :)**

Enjoy!

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_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _THIRTEEN_:**

_"Preparations"_

* * *

_Zip_.

"Ack—!"

"Hold still, the zipper isn't going up!"

"I can barely breathe, it's too tight!"

"Well if you'd just hold _still_—wait, I think I got it!"

"Ouch! Pepper—oh!—it's in my hair now!"

_Rip!_

A gasp. "It broke!"

"What broke!?"

"The zipper!"

A day out that was supposed to be fun and relaxing had actually become a complete nightmare. Dress shopping turned into the most difficult thing in the world. I think I'd rather take on a swarm of Chitauri than do this anymore.

Pepper insisted we check out the finest (more expensive) boutique in Manhattan, but when I reminded her I was on a budget she promised me it was just to try on some dresses for fun and even see if she could find one for herself. Sure—she had all the money in the world, after all.

One thing led to another and she was dressing me into _every single gown_ she thought suited me. I humoured her with absolutely no intention of buying anything from here, and suddenly me being a size too big cost us a broken zipper.

"Oh, no, no, _no_…!" Lifting the hem of the gown off the floor, I frantically scampered over to the mirror and tried getting a better look at the broken zipper behind my back. "Oh god, I can't afford to pay for this, Pepper!"

"Okay, okay, we can fix this, just calm down!" Though I knew the beautiful ginger was just as panicked.

After making her way over to me, Pepper better examined the damage done to the black gown. Her red-apple lips pursed and her eyebrows pressed together, a deep look of concentration worn on her soft face.

I peered over at her through the mirror's reflection and frowned. "How bad is it?"

"You don't want to know…" she answered.

I swallowed hard, "…How much?"

"How much is the dress?" Pepper asked, knowing very well that's what I meant. Probably trying to stall. Finally taking the tag into her hand and reading the price, her eyes grew in size.

"Pepper?"

"…You know, it was my fault the zipper broke," she began, "I'll pay for it."

"_That_ much?" I didn't want her having to pay even though I agreed that it _was_ completely her fault, but she insisted regardless of what I said.

One of the sales associates came into the changing rooms, acknowledging us with a curious smile. She was a middle-aged woman dressed in a thin white blouse tucked into her long black skirt; her sandy-blonde hair was pulled back by a silver hairclip.

"Is everything alright?" she asked.

Pepper immediately explained the situation, "Ah, yes, we were trying on one of your dresses and…well…" She tugged the dress, causing me to jerk backwards so she could show the woman the zipper, "_this_ happened."

"Oh dear, a size too small," _tsk_ed the associate. I blushed in embarrassment. "I'm afraid you'll need to buy it."

"No problem," Pepper rummaged into her purse before nonchalantly pulling out her credit card with ease. "There you are. Oh, I'll also be buying everything piled on top of your counter over there."

At the same time the woman peeked over, I did, too. I didn't even realize Pepper had picked out a bunch of things to buy. It must have been while I was changing into the dozens of dresses she had me model. I did fall in love with the second one I tried on though. It was a beautiful lavender satin gown with a sweetheart neckline, all covered in crystal beads. The corset came down and hugged the curves of my waist, the puffy floor-length skirt itself delicately trimmed in silky layers.

After leaving to ring Pepper's things through the cash register, I turned to the Stark Industry secretary with an apologetic sigh. "…Thanks, Pepper… I imagine it cost an arm and a leg."

Well, probably not for her.

"It's no problem… I shouldn't have forced it on you."

I pinched one of my arms, a bit of skin caught between my fingers. This was exactly why women should never be exposed to clothing a size smaller than they were—I was a little self-conscious about my body now. I looked over to Pepper and imagined her in this dress. "This would have fit you…" I mumbled, envying her body.

"Hey," Her voice was firm. "Stop that." She plucked one of the ruffles I wore, "This definitely wouldn't have fit me either. I didn't realize how small this was—see this? It's extra small. You'd have to starve yourself to be this size…"

"Alright," I decided to go with her word.

By the time I changed out of the ruined gown, Pepper already had her purchases in a bag and was ready to go. "Well, we've been at this all day… Why don't we call it quits for today?"

I went to grab my own bags. "Good plan…" I only managed to find the pumps I wanted to wear for this ball and a few everyday clothing I was in dire need of. I knew you were supposed to find the gown first and then shop for the shoes later but I honestly lacked any patience when it came to shopping.

Besides, white went with anything, didn't it? Yeah… I wouldn't worry.

The drive back was quiet, both of us left exhausted from our Girls Day Out. I was happy Pepper invited me shopping; it gave me an outlet to escape everything else that'd been clouding over me for the past few days. I felt like I was myself—that I was that waitress again, trying to make enough for rent, emailing her uncle every night to let him know how she was…eating chocolate spread from the container.

There was nothing ever extraordinary about me or my life, but I liked the simplicity of it and how average it was… Because living in a world that had a sufficient amount of excitement and wonder to it already was always good enough for me. Ever since I got involved with S.H.I.E.L.D, every single day was more exhausting and sometimes overwhelming… It was thanks to people like Pepper that I hadn't gone completely insane—that I was still able to express myself and live like I always had. Point being, I didn't want to lose sight of who I was.

"Hey," I glanced over to see Pepper video calling Tony from her phone.

"_Hey beautiful,"_

"Aren't you supposed be coming out of a meeting?" she then questioned.

"_I am—I did,"_ he lied.

"Is that so? Then why can I see your workshop behind you?"

"_Is that what you see? Are you sure?" _

Pepper shook her head, "Did you seriously cancel another meeting, Tony?"

"_I didn't cancel… Think of it more as an early 2 week vacation?"_

"I don't recall you running that by me." Her lips pulled over her teeth in a grin, voice more relaxed.

"_I just did." _

I rolled my eyes, these were the daily conversations Dr. Banner and I dealt with.

"_So, how did shopping go?"_

"Great! I found my gown for the party, Valentine has her shoes—I think we're doing great in terms of time." Pepper mused.

"Speak for yourself…" I muttered. "Can't you just pick out a dress for me?" I didn't really care what I'd wear anymore. Compared to the exquisiteness that was Natasha and Pepper, I was going to look plain standing next to them. I was really just going out of common courtesy to the invitation.

Crossing her leg over the other, Pepper patted my knee while still staring at the tiny screen on her phone, "So what are you cooking tonight?"

"_I didn't realize I was cooking. I mean I _could_ cook…but I'm not feelin' it. Does takeout sound good?"_

I absentmindedly gawked outside my window, their conversation fading into the background and soon enough my own troubled thoughts began to set in again…

It was nice while it lasted.

* * *

After dinner, I took a bath and went straight to my bedroom. I couldn't sleep, not quite yet, so I sat in bed while the single lamp was left on and providing me with a bit of light. I eventually changed positions and just lay there without the company of anyone but myself, rather enjoying the moment alone.

Lifting my left hand, I grumpily stared at the bracelet still around my wrist—the one Coulson had given me. I did this every night for some unexplainable reason, like I enjoyed constantly reminding myself that I no longer held the freedom I used to… When that sudden urge came to me to secretly phone my uncle or email him, _this_ little gadget held me back.

I suppose it could have been worst…like house arrest. Though this was pretty close. I at least had the authorization to leave the tower.

I sighed.

There was also a matter of my _date_. Every time I tried talking to Pepper about it, something interfered and the entire topic was forgotten. I must have either picked the worst timing or fate didn't want me intervening with giving it a good show the night of the ball.

"…I'll tell her tomorrow, first thing…" I mumbled, rolling over on my stomach and pressing my face into my pillow. I drifted…

When my eyes opened again, it was already morning. Better yet, Sunday morning.

_Sunday_.

I loved Sunday.

That was the only thing they could never remove from the routine that was my previous life—not S.H.I.E.L.D, not aliens, _nada_! It was intended to be the day of rest and I took it seriously. I negotiated. If I had to train and endure everything Fury threw at me, all I asked was to have Sundays off.

When I arrived into the main floor, I noticed Dr. Banner sitting at the dining table, engaged in the morning paper while his other hand fed him eggs.

"Good morning!" I chirped.

"'Morning," He lifted his eyes to greet me before they returned to the article he was reading.

"Good morning Miss. Hayes, I do hope you had yourself a restful night?" JARVIS greeted as well.

I went to serve myself a bowl of cereal. "I did! Are the lovebirds awake yet?" I asked, getting milk from the fridge.

"I'm afraid not. Shall I give them a wakeup call?"

"Nah," I finally took a seat across from Dr. Banner and took my first bite. "I can wait… I have _all day_." I added cheerfully.

Today I plan on watching television in my pajamas without a care in the world…

By the time I finished my cereal, Tony and Pepper were heard coming into the gigantic kitchen. "Good morning!" I greeted. "You guys sure slept in…"

Tony scoffed, "_Sleeping_, sure."

"_Tony_," Pepper nudged him on the side and went to pour herself some coffee.

"Okay, _ew_." I cringed at the implication and went to sit back down after rinsing my bowl off. "Anyways, Pepper…there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

"Yeah? What is it?"

I waited for her to have a seat next to me before finally getting to it, "Well, I've been meaning to discuss the whole arranged date for the ball—"

"Oh, which reminds me," Pepper took another sip of her coffee, "Ethan will meet you there instead."

Ethan Fowler. Green eyes. Brunette. 6'1". 23 years old.

Pepper practically recited his profile to me.

"Well, that's what I've been meaning to talk to you about…" I lowered my gaze sheepishly, trying to figure out how to say these next words without sounding either rude and last minute or cliché. Just as I started speaking, JARVIS cut me off.

"Pardon my interruption, but Mr. Rogers and Miss. Romanoff have arrived."

I felt a brief flicker of irritation towards the A.I. Hearing that Steve and Natasha had arrived, Pepper and I looked over to Tony and Dr. Banner. "Expecting guests?" Pepper questioned.

Tony leaned against the counter, peeling open a banana. "Guess so," he shrugged, taking a bite soon after.

"Ok—Pepper—I _really_ need to talk you about this, like _now_!" I urged, lightly yanking on the sleeve of her pajamas.

Peering down at me, the woman raised one of her brows. "That important?"

I nodded desperately, feeling my cheeks redden.

Before I could sneak Pepper into the hallway, Steve and Natasha stepped in. They instantly added a touch more of perfection inside of the room, like I were inside of a Home Style Magazine cover with all these beautiful people posing around myself and the furniture.

"Hey guys," Pepper greeted with a smile.

"Hey," Natasha raised a hand in greeting.

Steve nodded, "Ma'am." His eyes fell onto me, a smile gracing his handsome features, "Valentine,"

"H-hi…!" Oh god. My heart was already racing inside of my chest—but this time out of fear Pepper was going to mention my date and just make me look incredibly bad in front of the solider. I was trying so hard not to panic.

I also never thought my name could sound so appealing coming from anyone and that it would eventually get old. I was _so_ wrong. Steve was _always_ welcomed to say it.

"What brings you guys here?" Tony inquired, still nonchalant as he bit into his snack.

"We have a new colleague on the team," answered Natasha, "Figured she could get herself a little familiar with the group."

It was only then I acknowledged the woman standing behind them, close to Steve. This time it was a blonde beauty—ugh—her eyes blue, lips full and pink. Tall.

"Sharon Carter," she flashed us a pleasant smile.

_Carter…_ Where else had I heard that last name from?

When her gaze locked onto my own, she took a step forward. "You must be Valentine Hayes, correct?"

I blinked, eventually returning the smile, "Y-yes…nice to meet you." We shook hands. Since she was obviously going to be part of S.H.I.E.L.D now, I figured I was going to get to know her more down the road.

* * *

Once she shook Tony and Dr. Banner's hands, we all gathered in the living room to better get acquainted. Pepper and I changed out of our pajamas, but the damage was done for me. Meeting a new member of their team and I was dressed in pajamas with a pattern of penguins on them.

In front of _Steve_.

"Oh, you were transferred?" I asked. I sat myself at the end of the longer couch, leaning against the arm comfortably while hugging onto one of the decorative pillows. Pepper and Tony joined me, the man's arm wrapped around his girlfriend's waist. Natasha and Dr. Banner sat at the couch to our left, and Steve sat adjacent to us with Sharon.

"I was," Sharon's eyes scanned everyone in the room. "I worked in Washington for three years as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D before being reassigned here."

I nodded thoughtfully. She had the physique of a fighter—much like Natasha—I could only imagine how talented she was in combat, too, especially if they moved her here where all the action seemed to be.

"We'll need all the help we can get," Natasha stated, crossing her arms comfortably.

"Are things that bad over there?" asked Pepper.

"The council's not making it easy…" Steve answered with a bit of a grudge.

I flinched, and then sunk a little into the couch.

Sensing my discomfort, Pepper reached out and held hand. She gave it a light squeeze. I then flashed her a faint, but appreciative smile.

"I wouldn't worry about it," I looked over to Steve. "We're not going to let anything happen to you."

"Not me," I amended. "It's S.H.I.E.L.D I'm worried about…"

"Even if the council decides to shut them down, S.H.I.E.L.D is pretty capable on running on its own. Of course, they'll have to probably relocate underground…" Sharon didn't seem too worried either. "Director Fury has no intention of letting it happen anyways."

I frowned, "…I just wish he didn't have to worry about this at all…"

"Just remember," Dr. Banner spoke, "Fury managed to walk out of trouble after having Tony divert the nuclear bomb during the first attack… I'm sure if we can figure out a way to make them reconsider this time around, we should have no problems."

"What, send her into space?" Tony rolled his eyes. "They're fed up, that's what's happening… They just want their _Phase Two_."

"Yeah, what exactly _is_ Phase Two?" I finally questioned. They spoke about the council wanting to make weapons, but I never understood it past that.

"Initially it was S.H.I.E.L.D's top secret weapon program." Natasha went ahead and explained. "Basically…" she lacked pride, "…they wanted to harness the Tesseract's power to make weapons."

I couldn't believe S.H.I.E.L.D would ever want to consider something so dangerous. I had to ask, "Why…? I can't seem to think that it would only lead to more destruction…"

"It would," Dr. Banner mumbled.

"Long story short," the assassin sighed, "since encountering with Thor years before, S.H.I.E.L.D felt that we needed weapons that would form a means of deterrence…"

"From Gods?" I asked confusedly.

"No, extra-terrestrials in general."

"Oh…" I decided to drop the subject when I took note that the Avengers' faces hardened with stress, memories of that day having begun flooding their thoughts. It must have been exhausting them.

Silence…

"So," I began, looking directly at Sharon. "Fury brought you in to help him?"

"Actually Miss. Carter will be assisting us with ensuring your safety." Steve answered for her. Sharon sent the Captain a smile (something about it inflicting a bit of jealousy in me), not at all minding him doing so.

I realized though…another bodyguard. Or babysitter…wasn't sure which anymore.

"Well, you must attend our formal gathering next week, Miss. Carter." Pepper invited.

I felt my heart sink.

_Oh no_.

"I heard about it from Natasha actually, I think I will go." The blonde then sent Steve a playful smirk, "I _do_ need a man to escort me though."

Despite knowing that Steve was going to tell her that he was already escorting me, and knowing very well the scary reaction I will get from Pepper, I couldn't help but eagerly await the rejection.

But one never came.

Steve sat there awkwardly, looking to me with hesitation before sending a bashful smile Sharon's way. "Oh, well…"

I couldn't understand why he was hesitating…

I honestly didn't know what I was expecting from this night… It became clear Steve was too polite (and naïve) for his own good. Deciding to make it easier on him, I spoke for him, "He'd love to. I've already convinced him to go, he just needed a date."

Naturally, the solider looked to me, left quite dumbfounded. It was frustratingly cute.

I managed to send him an assuring smile, only knowing myself how strained it was. "I need my bodyguards there, right?"

Sharon laughed, amused by Steve's sudden shyness. "Ease up, Captain America, it'll be fun! And you can just walk over next door to pick me up."

Oh great, she was his neighbour, too.


	15. The G O L D E N Boy

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Hey there!

Another quick update for you lovely readers! This chapter is fairly significant, especially for Steve. :) I enjoyed writing it and hope you will enjoy reading it just as much.

**Special thanks to my reviewers, I love you all so very much! We made it to 100!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _FOURTEEN_:**

_"The Golden Boy"_

* * *

**_[Steve Roger's P.O.V]_**

_I somehow managed to find myself standing inside of a small, chilly, dark cabin. I couldn't make out the details of my surroundings… Picture frames, decorative figurines, furniture—everything was left far too distorted to make out, as though I was meant to only focus on one thing…a single rocking chair, smoothly swaying in the center of the room. Sitting in it with her back facing me was an elderly woman, her small aging body wrapped in a thick white quilt to protect her from the frigid air._

_I knew her, too._

"_Peggy?" I choked the air in, a wave of emotions washing over me._

_She didn't answer._

_The cold wooden floors creaked under my eager steps as I began approaching the chair. My heart thudded audibly. Before I could finally reach her, a pool of freezing water began to unexpectedly flood the room and pull me away from her. Peggy. My Peggy._

_The panic that struck me died and within seconds I found that I was drowning into an icy grave…_

I jolted upright, shocked out of the dream.

I stared out the window with wide eyes, my hand flying to my bare chest. It felt hot and clammy. I could feel my heart still beating wildly as I took a moment to catch my breath. The nightmare left me startled and even confused…

It had been a while since I last dreamt about _her_…

It was still dark outside. Dark and snowing. Once I began calming down, I distractedly watched as snowflakes stuck themselves to my window before melting into droplets… It was surprisingly soothing.

Finally peering over to the old clock radio on the nightstand, I sighed.

5 AM.

* * *

"You look terrible, didn't get enough sleep?"

"…Not really," I admitted with a yawn.

Sharon invited me out for breakfast at a local diner. It was actually a miracle I was even able to walk here without passing out halfway. I thought I was past these nightmares, but I stood corrected. It was ever since Sharon arrived. I knew that much.

I could remember the day clearly, too…

"_I'm her granddaughter actually,"_

I'd been left absolutely speechless. I didn't know _what _to say! How to react! This was the living granddaughter to the breathtaking woman I had fallen so damn in love with—a love that barely had the chance to scratch the surface. Sharon must have thought I was being rude, staring at her the way I had been. Probably uncomfortable, too.

Once the biggest revelation of my life had finally settled in, I was…_happy_. A little nervous even. Finally, for the first time since I woke up in this distant and unfamiliar world, I actually felt more at home. I knew I sounded ridiculously cheesy.

"_Well, it was my grandmother who inspired me to join S.H.I.E.L.D. I loved listening to her stories as a child. I looked forward to them every time I went to visit."_

Peggy led an even more adventurous life long after I left. I wasn't surprised—once a remarkable woman, _always _a remarkable woman. That's what I admired about her most. Still do.

"_I don't get it," _Sharon would ask me, _"Why haven't you ever gone to visit Grandma Peggy? Or even phoned her? You have her information." _

A question I was never able to answer, even after constantly asking myself the same thing.

_Why?_

Maybe I was too ashamed. Scared. Nervous. _All of the above_?

All I knew was that it haunted me each and every single day until I learned to finally live with it.

"_Well, if you ever want to see her…"_ She trailed off, knowing I would catch on.

"_Right, thanks."_

"Steve?" Sharon's smooth voice snapped me out of my thoughts and brought me back to the present. My eyes returned onto her, the woman's forehead creasing with worry. "You alright…?"

I attempted a nod, pinching the bridge of my nose. "…I'll be alright, sorry…"

"Aw, Steve…" I lowered my hand, meeting with her smile. She had Peggy's smile. "Don't worry about it… Maybe you should take the day off? You know, get back to bed and leave things to me… I'll let the others know th—"

"No," I interrupted, my own voice soft-spoken. "It's fine… This actually isn't the first time I didn't get a full night's rest." I forced an assuring smile her way, not wanting her to worry about me.

"…If you're sure." She wasn't convinced.

I was sure I'd be fine.

The coffee from breakfast certainly helped keep me awake long enough to make it through one of Coulson's briefings before I made my way over to Stark Tower. Sharon—or Agent 13—stayed behind, filling out mandatory paperwork.

On the way there I couldn't stop thinking about Peggy and Sharon—mainly their resemblance and how painfully similar Sharon was to her. It was becoming more of a chore to forget about Peggy when Sharon was around. I'm clearly not experienced enough when it comes to these sorts of things…

_Sigh_.

Stepping into the building, I was greeted by Tony's A.I. "Good afternoon, sir."

I flinched. Ceasing my next step, I awkwardly stared up at the ceiling. I was never really sure where else I was supposed to look as I responded back to the computer, "…O-oh, hello…"

Everywhere I turned I unfortunately encountered some form of technology, but entering Stark Tower was like wandering into a completely different dimension. I didn't like it. Seriously, robots doing your thinking? Cleaning? _Job_?

_Come on, Stark._

What ever happened to simplicity?

Coming into the main level, I intuitively smiled at the sight of Valentine washing a pile of dishes. I was also left a little confused. I never once saw Tony lift a finger, Pepper far too busy to do anything herself, surely that meant JARVIS handled most of the errands around here, didn't it?

Why was _she_ doing it?

"Valentine?" I called.

Nothing.

This was unpleasantly familiar.

"_Hello_?" The closer I got the more audible her soft, yet off-tune, humming became. I peeked over her shoulder (astonishingly still undetected) to see she was listening to music all along. "Hey—" I set a hand atop her shoulder, the poor girl jumping in surprise and before I knew it I'd been met with a _hard _punch to the jaw.

It was also in that moment she realized who I was. "OH!"

I staggered back from the force while left in a temporary daze, nearly knocking over the table and everything on it. I soon fell to the ground, blinking the stars away. For a second I had forgotten what my name was.

"Oh my god! Steve—oh god, are you alright!? Oh no, oh…! I'm so—I thought you were an intruder!" Valentine frantically came to my side, helping me to my feet.

I held my jaw, shaking my head a little. Damn, it really stung, too.

"Steve, I'm so sorry…!" she stared apologetically at me. I just needed a moment to recover before I was able to tell her she was forgiven.

By the time I sat myself down on one of the chairs, she'd returned with a frozen bag of vegetables and held it to my swelling jaw. "Steve, say something! Do I need to take you to the hospital!?"

"Everything alright?" It was Bruce Banner. All this noise must have pulled him out of the laboratory.

"N-no, I don't think so! I-I broke Steve! Can you break a Superhero!?" She was panicking.

"What happened?" he was quick to asking.

"…M'fine…" I was able to mumble over the commotion, the bottom half of my mouth feeling like it weigh a ton. I took the frozen bag from Valentine, holding it more firmly against my jaw. "…S'okay…"

She sputtered, "Oh god, he—he sounds terrible!"

"Alright, let's just calm down," The doctor came over to my side and pulled out a chair before taking his place on it. Removing his glasses from the front breast pocket of his shirt, he placed them on and finally examined the injury.

"…Was…n'accident…" I explained, meanwhile Bruce tilted my head back enough for him to determine how serious it was. I knew for a fact it wasn't that bad. Truthfully, this was a lot more pleasant than a blow to the gut.

"Well, your jaw isn't broken…" Bruce finally confirmed, his lips twitching into a small smile. I could tell he found this amusing and was muffling his laugh for my sake. "Just keep the ice on it for a few more minutes, you'll live."

I knew that.

"Thanks, Dr. Banner…" Valentine knelt down in front of me and I found myself staring wide-eyed at her. Those large dark-chocolate eyes swarming with blame, the curves of her light-olive cheeks blushing an embarrassing red, her bottom pink lip slightly trembling—it caught me off-guard, I hadn't been expecting her to give me the look she was giving me.

If I _were_ actually mad this wouldn't have been fair at all.

"I'm so sorry, Steve…" I certainly hoped she didn't plan on looking this sorry for every time she punched someone.

"…I scared you…" I reminded, wincing at the strain from pronouncing my words.

A cringe came from her at my own discomfort. "Y-yeah…you did scare me, so I guess you kind of deserved it—" I attempted a smile. "—but I still feel bad. I'll find a way to make it up to you."

"…Like I—" Ouch. "—said… M'fine…"

She sent me a glare, "Stop trying to make me feel better."

"…Sorry…"

I was never good at arguing with women. I just couldn't.

* * *

It had been a good thing that today my only concern, in terms of doing my job, was ensuring that Valentine was safe—like she teased—being her bodyguard. It was an even better that she decided to lounge around Stark Tower where strangers weren't able to gawk at my swollen jaw.

Or maybe she decided to stay indoors for my sake.

Whatever the reason, I was fortunate. I didn't think I could endure wandering around the city with the lack of sleep I had and while also heavily drugged from the amount of medication Dr. Banner had given me to help with the pain, strong enough to break through the serum's side-effect.

In front of the television, I tried keeping my weary eyes open long enough to comprehend what we were watching. I hadn't found much entertainment in television since the 40's. Nothing from this century could ever compare to the classics that was my time, so I just never bothered.

I closed my eyes…

"Steve…?"

Jerking awake, I slowly looked over to Valentine. "Huh?"

"Oh, I just…wanted to know if you wanted a pillow." She'd wrapped herself in the same thick blanket she used when she was sick, having no doubt grown an attachment to it. "And maybe a blanket?" she added.

"…M'fine…" I must have sounded like a broken record. "…Thanks…"

With a smile, she nodded and quietly resumed watching her program.

I could hear laughter…

_It's a sitcom of sorts_, I sleepily thought. That's what they were called…_I think_…

Something about the first one being made a few years after I froze myself…

I read as much as I could on the years I've missed…

As my petty thoughts reverted back to the World War, I drifted…

* * *

**_[Valentine Hayes' P.O.V]_**

I would periodically check on Steve as he slept on the opposite end of the couch, stirring from time-to-time when he couldn't find a comfortable position. You actually couldn't tell his jaw was swollen anymore—oh, right, must have been from the serum inside of his body. He had rejuvenation, did he not?

I felt terrible about punching him though. _Really_. It was more of an instant reaction that had clicked inside of me than anything else. I wasn't making excuses for myself, but I began wondering if an impulsively violent reaction to people getting your attention was also an effect from the Tesseract…

Or Natasha's intense training.

I rolled my eyes, trying to focus my attention back onto the television screen… But I _couldn't_.

Again I tried.

_Nope. _

_Nothing. _

_Ugh._

My eyes were glued onto the embodiment of beauty sleeping on the couch, his young features soft, vulnerable, peaceful… Surely the painkillers Dr. Banner gave him didn't do this? He must have been exhausted from something else.

Removing my official snuggle-blanket from around myself, I slowly got off the couch and went to cover Steve with it instead. It was warm and cozy.

_There you go._

From here I was able to really take notice of the finer details on his perfectly symmetric visage, now that he was so still… He had the most beautiful eyelashes—long and fair, pretty much flattering the rest of his gorgeous face.

I was in awe at this endearingly innocent side of Steve.

When he moved in his sleep yet again, I flinched and jerked my head back in case he woke up. Within seconds he was relaxed again, nothing but steady breathing coming from him…

I reflected on the Winter Masquerade Ball that was in a few days.

I _was_ upset for a while that Steve hadn't told Sharon he asked me to the ball, but I eventually got over it. It was actually silly of me to get so jealous over something you never really had, you know? Besides…I think I liked what he and I have now—our friendship. That bond.

I felt like this was as close as it was going to get.

Natasha always encouraged Steve to ask someone out, while Tony teased him about how naïve and awkward he was when it came to women. (Technology, too.)

I used to agree…

Now all I saw was this incredible and inspiring young soldier who, sure, was out of his time, but still carried those same beliefs with him that we didn't. He was constantly reminding me of how much—not just our country—but this century lacked in morals. We'd forgotten as human beings how we're supposed to live. I now understood why he continued fighting a constant war. We _all_ really needed a piece of Captain America in our lives.

To me, this golden boy was perfect just the way he was. I now know that.

I just hoped he was happy.

Sitting back down, I let out a yawn. I assumed Steve would just spend the night here since it was getting pretty late anyways. I was kind of glad I could expect his company tonight. I didn't exactly enjoy sleeping alone in a building as spacious as this one. The lovebirds were away on a business trip and Dr. Banner went to dedicate a bit of his time to help Coulson with something. It wasn't urgent or involved our situation so I didn't worry.

For once…it was a fairly uneventful night.

I turned the television off and leaned further into my end of the couch. I then brought my cheek to rest comfortably atop my hands and closed my eyes, curling my body in slightly so I didn't risk kicking the sleeping Avenger.

I'd drifted for a few hours and when I woke up again, I found that I'd been moved into the comfort of my own bed and tucked in. The numbers flashing on my alarm clock told me that it had only been three hours, so I got out of bed and went to look for Steve. Part of me was expecting him to have gone home to properly rest, but I was somehow left surprised to see him still sleeping on the couch, and this time having taken it over completely.

I sighed. The man didn't bother getting himself a pillow or blanket.

Covering him in a blanket was easy enough, but lifting his head to slip a pillow beneath it had proven to be the craziest thing I'd ever done at 2 in the morning. It was a success.

I whispered to JARVIS and politely asked the A.I to turn off all the lights.

Just as I turned to leave, I heard him groggily mutter, "Goodnight."

Standing by the hallway entrance, I flashed Steve an unseen smile, "Sweet dreams, Captain America…"


	16. W I N T E R Ball

_**KANO-STAR:**_

Hey guys!

Just another quick update. I'm struggling with the next chapter. I fear I suffer from Writer's Block. All the ideas are set, it's just the motivation to actually type it out. D: All I can say is once I get to posting it, we'll be getting closer to entering another chapter (or stage) of the story.

Just to clarify the story will center on _4_ specific stages. First one being **Death**, then **Love**, **Betrayal**, and lastly** War**... :O Bare with the pace, I don't like rushing my stories or reading rushed stories. XD

I want to once again thank you guys. Love you. 3

**Special thanks to my reviewers! Much love!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _FIFTEEN_:**

_"Winter Ball"_

* * *

Day of the Winter Masquerade Ball.

And here I was.

_Hiding_.

_Safe_.

Instead of mingling among the sea of stunning people, I hid in the large stall room and my refuge from the anxiety that was awaiting me just outside. The beautifully composed classical music playing, the chattering and laughter, clinging of wine glasses—everything was muffled by the thick marbled walls of the restroom.

I was finally able to hear my own thoughts again.

I stared at myself through the wall-sized mirror, while supporting my trembling form against one of the smooth porcelain sinks. My hot clammy hands gripped both ends of the counter as I took deep, steady breaths. I had never been exposed to anything so formal and _crowded_.

_Awkward_, too.

Just thinking about it had my stomach twisting again.

The grand ballroom itself was absolutely breathtaking; the broad creamy walls were left untouched, while everything else played with the wintery theme of the ball. The exotic carpeted flooring that bordered around the center dance floor was a light-silver color and gave a bit of that snowy touch. Above every party table hung expensive white crystal chandeliers—the lighting dim and romantic. I knew there were probably more carefully crafted details to mention, but that was all I could remember in the time I was actually in the room.

Nobody recognized anyone out there, not while we were all wearing these masquerade masks. I understood most of these guests worked within Stark Industries or had some form of connection to the billionaire himself… I felt completely out of place though.

Natasha and Clint blended well with the sophisticated crowd, clad in their own fancy attire. The red-headed beauty turned heads in her halter top gown, just as fiery and stunning as herself. Her hair was kept in short curls. Clint kept it simple: black suit jacket left unbuttoned, no tie, and matching dress pants. He couldn't keep his eyes off of his "date" either. Pepper and Sharon wore more traditional ball gowns. The secretary's dress white and strapless, flowing elegantly to the floor. Her ginger hair styled in elaborate curls, pulled over her left shoulder. It suited her. Sharon's was a contrasting black, two thin shoulder straps holding it in place, and a white satin belt wrapped around her slim waist. Her long golden locks were pulled back in an elegant bun with her trimmed bangs styled to the side.

They decided (for my sake in case I needed to locate them) to wear plain white masks that covered the top half of their faces. No feathers, glitters, or beads. Not that they needed the masks to distract attention away from their flawless appearance anyways.

Lowering my gaze onto my own mask resting atop the counter, I idly examined it. It certainly wasn't anything special. It was silver, the rims glued with white glitter, and two white feathers stuck out from the left. My long dark hair was worn in a more casual, low ponytail, with soft strands flowing down my back in waves. Pepper insisted I wore it down and in curls but I liked it pulled back—nothing _too _flashy.

Then there was my dress.

It was that same lavender satin gown I'd fallen in love with at the boutique. Pepper had secretly bought it among other things, much to my surprise. Her incredibly generous gesture would forever be remembered. I was very lucky to have been surrounded by kindness.

Up until now, the stalls were unoccupied and left me with a bit of privacy. Now women began filling the stalls or came to the mirror to reapply their makeup. Judging by the lack of music, I figured it was a bit of an intermission.

Turning on the tap with cold water, I held my hands under it and washed off the sweat sticking to my palms.

I sighed.

_I should get back to my date_, I thought reluctantly. Not that he wasn't nice. He was pretty much everything Pepper said he was: Tall, handsome, polite, intelligent… I just found we had _nothing_ in common. I spent most of my time working at a small restaurant in the city and when I wasn't, I watched television. The only friends I had was my roommate and Dorothy—both in which I hadn't seen in months.

Ethan was pretty much the exact opposite; he was successful, had loads of friends, led a far more exciting life…

Before I could force myself through the door, I heard familiar voices just outside. "Maybe she needed a washroom break?"

It was Pepper.

"She's been in there for a long time now, we should check on her."

And Sharon.

Soon enough both women entered, their eyes widening in relief upon seeing me standing by the sinks. "Hey, is everything alright?" Pepper was the first to come to me, setting a dainty hand atop my shoulder.

I nodded, "Perfectly fine."

Sharon came over to my other side, crossing her arms. "You sure? You've been in here for a long time…" she persisted.

I didn't like that these S.H.I.E.L.D agents watched my every move. Literally.

Before I could answer, Pepper asked, "Is it Ethan? What did he do?" She pressed her brows together, a firm look stressing her lovely features. She was like a protective big sister, ready to take out any man who would break my heart.

I smiled. "No, Ethan is great… It's…well, _me_. I don't do so well with crowds, I guess…" I shrugged, "I lack the proper etiquettes these kinds of gatherings require. I can't mingle with half of the people here without sounding like an idiot…"

I was like a child sitting at the grown-up table.

Business, politics… The conversations gave me a headache.

Pepper giggled softly, fixing my hair a little. "Oh, I don't even engage myself in those kinds of conversations…"

"You lie."

"Honest. Why else do you think Tony and I are always on the dance floor?"

Sharon agreed, "Steve and I have been doing the same." Something about her saying it out loud, that she and Steve were having the time of their lives, it pulled a string in my heart. A tug of jealousy.

_Get over it, girl!_

Sighing internally to myself, I reached for my mask. After placing it back on, I faced both women with a tired smile, "How do I look? Still okay? Am I ready to head back out there then…?"

They both gave me an encouraging nod and I was led back to the ballroom.

By now the band had begun playing again, couples dancing gracefully to the slow tempo of the music. As we made our way out further into the room, I spotted Natasha and Clint standing by one of the tables, staring directly at us in anticipation of my return.

I gave an awkward wave of the hand, letting them know I was still alive.

Soon enough Tony, Steve, and Ethan approached us. Tony and Ethan also kept it simple with their black suits and ties. The host had his hand set on Ethan's back, about done the conversation they struck up while awaiting our return. "—and that's pretty much all there is. Feel free to stop by the laboratory some time, kid."

Ethan gave the man a wide, polite smile, "Thanks, sir, will do."

"Everything alright?" Steve then asked. I could tell by the tone of his deep voice that he'd also been concerned.

I focused on Ethan as I answered the Avenger, knowing very well if I finally acknowledged him dressed up, I would not be able to look away. I would just melt on the spot. It made it easier invisioning him in something hideous. "I'm fine."

I took Ethan's arm, already hauling him to the center of the room. "Let's dance."

_Don't pay attention to the amount of people in one room_, I told myself. _Pretend it's just a _small_ gathering. Nothing more._

Being a smart man, Ethan was quick to detecting my uneasiness. "Are you _sure_ you're fine…? Look, I can take you home if you…"

"No!" He flinched. "No, please… I'm…sorry…" Lifting my gaze to look into his, I sent him an assuring smile. I seemed to have been an expert at those. "I should…just get over my anxiety."

Ethan nodded slowly, observing my facial expressions carefully as though to confirm for himself. "So, you have anxiety issues?" he finally asked, spinning us once.

My hand atop his left shoulder twitched against the smooth fabric of his suit. "…Not really…" I mumbled, "…Just feel out of place here…and there's just so many people…"

"Why did you come if you hate crowds?" he asked, flashing me a curious stare.

"I didn't realize I would feel this uncomfortable." I admitted with a sigh. "Maybe it's this whole feeling out of place thing that's the route of all this…"

My date gave a thoughtful, "_Hm_."

In the time we danced, I started to scrutinize the structure of his face. He had a masculine face. His jaw had trimmed stubble on it, was hard and slightly squared… The short brown hair on his head was brushed to the side, held in place with gel that glistened under the lighting. His round green eyes eventually wandered the room a little, rosy lips pursed as though he were deep in thought.

Finally, he shared those thoughts, "Count."

"Huh?"

"Count to ten every time you feel anxious," he suggested. "Or, you know, however long you need to count. I do it all the time during my presentations at school."

I snorted in amusement, "You count _during_ your presentations?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, in my head."

"Well, aren't _you_ quite the multi-tasker…" I teased. Our conversation was actually making me feel much better. I almost forgot I was dancing. I was distracted from the crowd of gliding couples that surrounded us.

Goodness, if it weren't for those lessons I took with Pepper I'd probably be stepping all over Ethan's feet.

A grin that was actually quite attractive was then worn on the young man's face, "You bet'cha."

I turned out liking the time I spent with Ethan, much to my surprise…and relief. I had convinced myself that this entire night would just result in me sitting at one of the party tables, miserably plucking candy off of the gingerbread house stationed at each table, eating them. Actually, the more I looked around, the more obvious these Christmas decorations became…like suddenly they were popping out at me now that I was more relaxed.

White Christmas trees sat along the far milky walls and festive ornaments hung on silver wreaths above the dance floor.

And now…the impending holidays actually had me even more determined to see my uncle again.

The room began getting a little warm so I went to get myself a bit of fresh air. To avoid a scolding, I let the others know. Clint decided to accompany me this time. I was glad… I wanted to give Natasha and Steve a break, and wouldn't dream of pulling Tony away from Pepper.

And Sharon…I just didn't _click_ with her.

_Oh, you know why. _

My conscience had no problems pointing it out.

* * *

The freezing air of Manhattan instantly welcomed us as we stepped outside. I only wore my trench coat atop my shoulders, given I had the liberty of just going back inside when it got too cold for me. I looked over to Clint as he silently stood next to me, his bare hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket. He shivered a little, but said nothing. Out of everyone, he had more of the bodyguard demeanor. So serious.

"I'll only be a moment," I assured the archer, my eyes eventually moving onto the fog emitting off of my breath.

"I'm in no rush."

With a smile, I gazed up at the night sky. Only a few stars winked at me, but I took what I got. It was one of the downsides of living in the city. I was starting to think I should have just come out here to better clear my head instead of hiding inside of a stall room… Sure, it was a little chilly tonight, but the air felt so good against my flushed cheeks.

I looked over to see Clint shiver again and smiled apologetically, "Why don't you head back inside?" He didn't expect me to stand out here for as long as I had been.

"Can't leave you alone," he reminded. "A little cold never hurt anyone."

"Unless you factor in the common cold." a familiar voice added.

We both glanced over our shoulders to see Steve emerging from the front doors of the building. It was one of the largest and no doubt expensive hall rentals in Manhattan. I thought the red carpet touch was clever and suitable for the important guests that attended the Masquerade. The valets stood off to the side, enjoying their cigarettes.

"Captain." Clint acknowledged Steve with a nod.

The temptation to admire him all night had at last prevailed over my stubbornness and I soon found myself gawking at the most painfully stunning piece of the party that I'd seen all night. Just _one_ man managed to outweigh all the hard work and dedication put into this event, becoming by far the most remarkable thing about it.

Nothing compared to him. _Nothing_.

Steve's groomed blonde locks were slicked back from the sides while the longer top part of his hair was parted to the side and smoothed down. He wore the black tie and suit ensemble as well, but somehow managed to pull it off much better.

"Why don't you warm yourself up a little?" Steve offered, "I can take over."

"Showing off, are ya? Guess the whole 'not able to get sick' effect can be put to some use." Clint commented with a smirk.

"Exactly."

"Well, I'll see ya both inside in a bit then." The assassin went back inside, leaving myself and Steve alone.

That nauseating feeling to my stomach had returned and I couldn't bring myself to look directly at him anymore. Instead, I focused my attention back to the dark winter skies. Steve's moment of silence made me more anxious…

What was he thinking right now…?

"This kind of reminds me of the time I had to wait outside in the freezing cold," he began, "Bucky insisted we go out dancing. Of course, I wasn't the ladies first choice so I usually never bothered…but his date refused to go unless her sister had someone to take her too."

I couldn't fight the faint smile stretching my lips. I then stared to my feet. "Steven Rogers to the rescue…"

He laughed a little. "But this place was lining with lots of people. Afraid to disappoint his date and tell her he didn't want to dance anymore, he made us wait outside in the cold for an hour."

"Really?" My brows raised in surprise. "Wow… I would have left."

"He was a good guy, was just sometimes desperate." Steve teased before his face softened in nostalgia, "He'd had my back more times than I could count… I owed him."

More silence…

I knew the Avenger was just trying to make conversation…but it seemed _forced_. Before I could begin wondering why, Steve spoke again, "Alright… I have to ask what I did to upset you."

It caught me off-guard. "S-sorry?"

"You haven't spoken to me all night."

"I haven't spoken to Tony either…" I mumbled. "That doesn't mean anything."

"You're even avoiding eye contact with me."

I met with his gaze to prove a point. "No I'm not…"

Crossing his arms, the solider pursed his lips in response. He wasn't buying it. Was I just a naturally terrible liar?

I wanted to give the man a glare that would have him immediately back off, but I just couldn't… He was so adorably naïve, the confusion coming off of his boy-ish features making it that much harder to be angry at him.

I finally sighed. "…I'm sorry, I'm just…" I paused, lowering my voice, "…Things are starting to get to me… I'm stressed. Tired. I want to know how my uncle is—I want to see him again. I understand that I'm even in this position because of my own actions, but this still kind of…"

"Sucks?" he finished. "Yeah… I get it." His jaw hardened as he stared off, probably just as frustrated. Steve was the only one who willingly carried some of the weight of my problems on his own shoulders. That's what drew us together, this evident bond we had through a common cause.

I hung my head with another sigh. "…My mood is ruining a nice evening…" I mumbled to myself. I was finding reasons to be pessimistic. Ugh.

With all this pointless sulking I hadn't realized my body began quivering in the cold until Steve pointed it out, "You're going to get a pretty nasty frostbite if you don't head inside soon."

"Oh."

He gently set a hand below my elbow, guiding me back in the direction of the building. When I stepped inside, I could feel the tip of my ears throbbing from the cold. I turned to Steve and saw his handsome face had reddened from the temperature, too.

"Sorry," I mumbled sheepishly.

We took off our winter coats and hung them back up. I was still a little cold so I rubbed my red fingers together and blew hot air into them. That was when Steve began removing his suit jacket. "If I'm going to be honest, I needed a bit of fresh air myself." He confessed, just then bringing his jacket over my bare shoulders.

The brief and sudden action gave my heart a start.

I blinked before looking up at him, the blood having rushed to my face. "T-thanks…" I didn't know what else to say.

Without a word—just his charmingly polite smile—the Captain gave me his arm. I hesitated for a second before taking his arm and letting him lead me back into the ballroom. My heart thudded audibly the entire time, almost drowning out the sound of music.

From where I stood I saw Ethan speaking with another young woman. So did Steve. "Isn't that your date?" he asked, almost insulted.

I smiled, "Yeah… Look at him go." Honestly, he was just my date for the night and that was it. I was glad to see Ethan saw it that way too.

Sharon's sapphire eyes watched us from across the room. I turned my head enough to look in her direction, our gazed accidentally locking.

I flinched.

Something about the _look _she was giving me… I got an uneasy feeling.


	17. B R O K E N Resolution

**_KANO-STAR:_**

Hello my loves!

OK. So before we get started…

I'd like to discuss something that's probably not a big deal to some of you but it kind of is for me as I want to only please my readers and being a fellow fanfiction member myself, I can understand why this would bother some of you. Anyways, PLEASE don't feel obligated to review just for the sake of getting me to post another chapter. I apologize immensely if that is the impression you've gotten. I will always have the motivation to post chapters from time to time, that's kind of a given for me. However, I always do appreciate them. I'm open to constructive criticism and any kind of feedback, that's really what helps me improve with my chapters. I'm trying my hardest to avoid characters from being "ooc"—trust me, I get it. I don't enjoy reading fanfiction that has ooc characters. As I mentioned before, I have a bit of struggle with writer's block from time to time, but I've been trying my hardest to also update as fast as I can. Luckily I'm on vacation right now so I've had time to actually post and read your reviews. You guys have been amazing, especially my constant reviewers… I honestly—from the bottom of my heart—appreciate _each and every_ review I get. I take them into consideration, promise!

I'm sure half of you are skimming through this thinking "stop your blabbering, woman!". XD If this doesn't apply to you…carry on. o_o

In all seriousness, I love you all and _will_ continue posting new chapters every chance I get, so do not fret. Review only if you _want_ to review…not because you _have_ to…otherwise there's not much of a point, you know? And if you do end up reviewing, thank you!

My story wouldn't be without my readers.

Well then. I'm done my rambling now. :D

As for the chapter, like I promised in my previous A/N, things will begin taking a turn now. Prepare for the drama and action my friends...prepare. :P

**Special thanks to my reviewers! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!**

Enjoy!

* * *

_xx** AETERNA **__xx_

"_Eternal"_

…_A Marvel's Avengers Fanfiction…_

—

_Aeterna © KANO-STAR_

_The Avengers © Disney Marvel_

—

**CHAPTER _SIXTEEN_:**

_"Broken Resolution"_

* * *

_Thud_.

I hit the padded floor faster than I could blink.

"You're not focusing!" scolded Natasha.

"I-I'm trying…!" I panted heavily, lying there, soaked in my own sweat. My body was physically exhausted, I couldn't remember the last time it felt this drained and heavy. It was as though gravity had gone against me and I could no longer control the limbs on my body. The simplest of tasks like getting off the mat had become impossible.

I knew Natasha was just about right—I lacked discipline. Concentration. The motivation. I was completely hopeless…

"…We've been at this for months now, Nat…" I whined, finally having regained my breath. I stared up at the assassin as she stood over me, arms crossed and a look of disappointment on her face.

"Exactly, _months_. Look, if you're not putting the effort into this then I'll tell Fury to place you under quarantine."

I frowned, "That's…a little much, no?"

"You're still a potential threat," There it was again. _Potential Threat_. I hated those words with a passion! "Actually, the _Tesseract _is," she then corrected. "If anyone gets their hands on you, it'll become the exact same outcome as though you were the cube itself."

I let out an exasperated sigh, dropping back onto the mat. "…I know," I grumbled. "…I get it…"

"I don't think you do." Kneeling beside me, the Russian woman's brows pressed together. I blinked. "If you understood how severe your situation is, if you were just as determined as the rest of us to ensure nobody gets a hold of the power hibernating inside of you, you'd get your act together."

My eyes moved from Natasha to the set of ceiling lights above me. S.H.I.E.L.D's training room was pretty remarkable in terms of size and equipment… For the first little while I was actually impressed but now I was beginning to lose any to all fascination and interest.

If I didn't see this room again it would be too soon.

"…I'm not a hero…" I finally muttered. "No matter how hard I try, I'm far from being the fighter Fury wants me to be. I can't be like you, or Clint, or even Steve… There's just no way…" I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.

I wasn't about to get emotional about it. Not in front of her.

"It's about the dedication you put into this. I understand that this probably isn't the most ideal situation for anybody but you have to take what you get. We're not asking you to be a fighter, but you need to master the basics of self-defence otherwise a situation may come where you are left defenceless. You keep claiming that you don't want to be a burden to the rest of us any longer… Well, start showing us you mean it."

Peeking over at Natasha, I found myself focused on the unbreakable resolute coming off of her, something I admired her for. I wish I were in more of a constructive mood to gain from her speech, but I felt frustrated and like I were pushed into a corner.

This was _their_ life…not _mine_.

I was sorry I even made contact with the fragment at all!

When I turned my head away, my thoughts evident on my face, Natasha stood up and sighed. "We're done for today then."

It wasn't my proudest moment.

* * *

December 22nd.

Time had flown by and every second to every day I was feeling less and less like myself… My own negativity was beginning to influence my thoughts and actions. I felt as though my attitude was rubbing off on the others the wrong way, too. It was as though someone kept weighing me down, yanking me further into a deep and bottomless pit with no way of getting out…

I was mourning the part of me I promised I would never lose… I lost it. It was gone and I was beginning to feel like I would never see it again.

Christmas parties, eggnog, gingerbread men cookies, festive Christmas lights… _Hmph_. I lacked anything resembling holiday cheer. The approaching holidays seemed more like another day that would soon be gone just as fast as it came.

_Fury warned me that he wouldn't hesitate keeping me confined… I was beginning to wish he did. _

It had been at that very moment I came to the _stupidest _decision of my life—a decision that would also result in the most dramatic and emotional struggle of my life.

I thought, _hey, if I'm going to wind up locked up and treated like the threat I apparently was, why not just start taking actions upon myself?_ My entire life I'd been told what to do and how to do it, I was finally fed up.

Things were going to change!

Visiting my uncle had suddenly become more of a priority than anything else.

Wandering into one of S.H.I.E.L.D's corridors, I took the first elevator I saw to the basement. Because my own logic convinced me that if I had snuck out through the basement garage then I'd become less likely to have been spotted before I could make it ten steps from the building.

To my surprise it had worked.

The bus ride from Manhattan to Seattle took a little over 2 days…and every minute of it had me absolutely paranoid. Not a second of sleep was taken. I knew by now S.H.I.E.L.D must have taken notice of my absence and was probably tracking me down at this very moment, using this damn tracking device I had around my wrist. If I could I would have removed it by now.

I took a cab to my uncle's and had arrived within minutes. As we turned into the friendly neighbourhood, I relished in the small townhouses of my childhood. Every house held a certain memory, whether they were fond, not fond, or even fascinating at all. I grew up here. I hadn't a clue as to why I ever wanted to leave now…

I was _finally_ home.

For the first time in years, I felt alive again.

Just as the taxi came to a stop, I wiped the single tear running down my left cheek and paid the man his fare.

My uncle's house was the only one on the block that lacked any Christmas decorations. He was _waiting_ for me… It was a pastime of ours that we did every year, much like the barbeque I regrettably wind up missing no thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D.

The walk from the pathway to the front red door seemed like a torturing eternity. Before I could knock, the door swung wide opened and I'd been instantly greeted by a pair of strong arms, pulling me against its firm wall of warmth. My hands instantly came around, clutching the back of his shirt.

"Uncle!" I sobbed into his broad chest, trembling as I held onto him as tight as I could.

He held me for a moment longer before speaking, "Valentine, I can't believe you're here…!" He pulled away, his large hands setting atop my shaking shoulders. He examined my appearance, as I did his. He was a tall, largely built, 6'1" man, whose physical intimidation did not match his heart of gold. We shared the same dark hair, nose, and light-olive skin tone.

"You look so different!" he exclaimed in awe. "New look you picked up in Europe?" He grinned.

I wiped my tears, unable to do the same to the goofy beaming look I wore. I was grinning from ear-to-ear. I betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D, I had no right to be happy…but I _was_.

"I did!" I lied. "Do you like it?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I do. You're really becoming quite the young lady, Val."

I wish that were the case…

* * *

After getting settled in, Uncle Arnold made me a cup of coffee to help warm me up. I anxiously stood within the living room, occasionally peering outside the window. I'd made sure the curtains were closed and the doors were locked.

_It's only a matter of time…_, I thought.

"How was Europe? Tell me about it, kiddo!" he called from the kitchen. "You brought me something, right?"

I went to sit down on one of the white sofas, just as he came out with my coffee mug. With a smile, I shook my head, "No, sorry, no gifts… And it was…_eventful_." Once I had that first sip of coffee, I felt my muscles ease a little from their tension.

Despite how calm and natural I appeared to my uncle, I could feel my heart apprehensively pounding inside of my chest. My palms were even becoming sweatier, making it difficult to grip the hot mug of coffee properly. Instead I rest it over my knee.

"Well, tell me about it," My uncle persisted. He was now seated at the hideously bright lime-colored arm chair he'd claimed as his since he'd gotten it. That was a few years after I'd been born. He seemed rather attached to it so I never asked him to get rid of it.

I then had to think of something someone would experience while traveling across Europe. "Well…" I started off slowly, looking around the room as if I'd miraculously find inspiration. My eyes fell onto the faded black and white portrait of my grandfather. He'd also fought in World War II. I wondered if he and Steve knew each other. "…Err… I had a lot of cheese…and…wine…" My uncle waited for more description. "…And…I met…a nice man…"

He took a sip of his coffee, "Yeah?" That got his interest.

"Y-yeah…" I lowered my gaze, thinking about the Super Solider. The more I did, the less of a lie my words became and the easier it was to describe. "…He was an American tourist… And…well, quite the _patriotic _man. But he was something else… You can even say he was _old-fashioned_."

"Nothing wrong with that," nodded the man.

I laughed a little, but there was a strain to my eyes as I looked back at my uncle. "…No, nothing wrong with that at all…" My voice fell weak at the end and I couldn't fight the sobs any longer.

My uncle was alarmed by the tears. "Val? What's the matter?"

I shook my head, taking a moment to clean what I could off my cheeks, "Oh, Uncle Arnold… The truth is I can't…I can't lie to you anymore… I wasn't in Europe—I was still in Manhattan this entire time! I couldn't see you though, they wouldn't let me…!"

"What?" He placed his coffee on the table, "_Valentine Elizabeth Hayes_, what's going on? _Who_ wouldn't let you see me?" His face was stressed with worry, every wrinkle on his face becoming more distinct as he frowned.

The distant sound of wheels rolling over concrete had me looking sharply away from my uncle, and in the direction of the window.

"What's wrong?" he asked again, even more worried. Obviously he couldn't hear what I could, my sharper senses kicking in again. I had no idea how Captain America managed to live like a dog, 'cause that's exactly what I felt like sometimes.

"…They're here…" I whispered under my breath.

Moving towards the curtains, I nervously gazed outside to see four S.H.I.E.L.D SUV's pulling up on the snowy driveway. Soon enough Director Fury was seen climbing out from the front seat, a look of impatience and anger on his face as he slammed the door shut.

About 7 burly looking agents accompanied him…as well as Steve and Sharon.

I gulped, but there was a hint of annoyance boiling inside of me as well.

"Valentine, what the hell is—" I cut my uncle off by rushing over to him and yanking him into the kitchen. "Valentine!?"

I spun around, taking his broad face into my quivering, clammy hands. I gave him a desperate look, my voice strained, "I don't have much time! Please—please, for once, just don't worry about me and trust me, okay?! Go, I need you to hide, stay out of sight!"

"Are you insane!?" He took my hands into his, holding them defiantly, "You're going to explain to me what has gotten into you! What are you hiding th—"

_Bam!_

A forceful and loud kick to the door had us both jump out of our skins. "JUST GO!" I cried, frantically shoving my uncle through the back doors before abruptly closing it behind him. I kept my back to it, waiting as the sound of scampering footsteps throughout the home became progressively louder.

Soon enough Director Fury and Steve arrived at the entrance of the kitchen. They came to a hasty halt seeing me stand at the end of the room, glowering warily at them. Soon enough Sharon and the other agents arrived, the woman clutching her pistol close to her.

"I'm surrounded by idiocy!" Fury snapped. "What the hell were you thinking pulling a stupid stunt like this!? Is this your way to express a tantrum!?"

"A _statement_." I retorted. "I'm not letting you or this organization control my life any longer!"

"Control?" Fury took a step forward, "How about guaranteeing your own damn protection? I've got some good men willing to put their lives on the line for you!"

I scoffed, "Oh, _please_…" I didn't buy any of it. "All you care about is the Tesseract's power, that's it! You were willing to kill me if it meant having the Tesseract back in one piece, remember?"

"And you had been willing to sacrifice yourself, too. Or was that all for show?" the spy countered. "I don't have time to argue with you, you're coming back with us whether you like it or not."

I instinctively steadied my feet to the ground as a few of his agents drew closer to me, clutching onto handcuffs. They were prepared to apprehend me. In the moment my body tensed and my heart broke into a sprint, my frightened eyes wandered onto Steve who remained stationary, ready to move in if he needed to.

I'd felt betrayed and the impulse to punch the Avenger again came to me.

Suddenly, a loud growling, "_HEY—!_"

Steve and Director Fury were shoved to the side, smacking into the refrigerator.

_No._

"DON'T TOUCH MY NIECE, BASTARDS!" A bat was swung into the back of an agent's head.

_No, please, no! _I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move!?

One of the other S.H.I.E.L.D agent's automatically aimed his gun at my uncle, his defensive instincts kicking in.

_No… NO!_

I found the blood in my legs and began to run, my uncle turning to me and gave me a final look before the sound of a gun was heard throughout the neighbourhood.

And then, my world shattered.


End file.
